Our Time is Running Out
by The Neon-Panda
Summary: She could never control what would happen to her. No matter how hard she tried, she would always be at the mercy of another. When you are born into two of the most ancient pure-blood families, everything is decided for you.
1. Parchment 1:Leaving Home

Welcome to my Harry Potter fanfiction! This was an older story called "An American Girl" , but I deleted it and re-wrote it. Criticism is nice! always appreciated, I don't accept flamers though! please keep your hexes and jinxes to yourself!

Other than that, thanks for reading my story. I'm not sure how this will go because I am still writing the plot. This was originally a Neville Longbottom love story. But I just adore the idea of him and Luna Lovegood together. So I went for Draco Malfoy instead, kind of the opposite end of the romantic spectrum.

So, read on and...Enjoy!

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><p><span>Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 1: Leaving Home

~ Lixella ~

It's funny, when you reach a certain age you realize that your life isn't solely your own. It belongs to those people who are closest to you. They hold onto a piece of your soul. From the day you are born, the world knows of your presence. Each person that will meet you, somehow realizes that you have just arrived. Lixella always knew that her life could not solely be her own. She could never control what would happen to her. No matter how hard she tried, she would always be at the mercy of another. When you are born into two of the most ancient pure-blood families, everything is decided for you.

This is not a happy beginning for a story, but it is a beginning. Lixella Cruxshade, on this day, stood at the newly dug graveside of her parents. The tombstones sat in a field of green grass, beneath a white willow tree. Upon the white marble stone was carved two names, "Altria Duskwood" and "William Cruxshade". Lixella stood at the graveside, her head hanging low. Her purple eyes peered out from behind a long black veil, at the two names. The preacher was saying something about the family's strong lineage. How they both were from two lines of ancient magical blood, all pure.

Lixella had heard it all before, she didn't care about what the man had to say. She was remembering the dreadful morning, when her aunt arrived. The morning Lixella found out that her parents were dead. There was no sound to the memory, just the sight of her aunt through tears. She couldn't even remember her screams of pain. It was a memory that would be pushed back to the farthest corner of her mind. All Lixella knew, was that this was all the fault of those terrible death eaters. Her parents had journeyed to England a few weeks ago. They had left to attend an important meeting, a meeting with the dark lord. They never returned.

It was summer now, they had left just before the end of the last school year. After their death, Lixella had read something in the paper about an attack on the ministry. Ever since then, the news has only been about Harry Potter and Dumbledore being correct in their statement that Voldemort had returned. Ever since that night, Lixella's life changed. She was now going to live with her aunt Iris and uncle Zander at the Cruxshade manor in England. She would also be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her schooling up until now had taken place at Lunareth.

Lixella had heard many stories, about Hogwarts, from her aunt Iris. Her aunt had been sorted into Slytherin house, where she spent the best days of her life. She later married her Uncle Zander. Zander Cruxshade was Lixella's father's older brother. He obtained the Cruxshade manor in the dying will of his father, Desmond Cruxshade . Lixella's dad married her mother, Altria Duskwood, and acquired the Duskwood estate in New York.

The Duskwood estate was located in a large forest just outside of the town of Sleepy Hollow. Lixella always loved her American home, it was one of last unique houses left in the country. It's outside resembled a Victorian mansion. It was painted a deep purple with black and white accents. Every wall and ceiling was riddled with wood carved detail. The crown molding was carved to resemble leaves hanging from a tree, painted black. The inside flooring consisted of marble, oakwood, and special carpeting. There was a grand double staircase that cascaded from the second floor, to the foyer. The front door was decorated with elegantly carved posts. These curled into the Duskwood family crest over the door frame.

The Duskwood crest was the most present symbol in her house. It consisted of a large white willow tree, engulfed by black flames. The Cruxshade crest consisted of a black and purple crescent moon, with a black dagger piercing through it. It was added when the house was acquired by her father and mother. More modern versions of the crest were carved out of steel. It was often mistaken for a stylized "E", because of the dagger.

She took a walk around the house, to have a last look at it. She wished that she could remembered more from her childhood. When Lixella was small she lost her memory. Ever since then, she's been trying to recover it. The farthest back she can remember is to the age of about 7 years old. It was a blurred memory, of the summer she'd spent with her aunt, in England. Something about a reunion of sorts. She remembered a large house with a lot of people. Also, a boy about her age. He was mean to her, but she had no one else to play with. After the party she remembered someone picking her up out of her bed. Then, everything went blank.

It was very curious, that she could only recover that one memory. Perhaps it was important.

She walked through the upstairs. The walls were covered in purple and black wall paper, in an argyle style. Each room upstairs was decorated with fine detail. Lixella's room was the last one on the hall. It faced outwards, towards the back of the house. Today it overlooked the new gravesite of her parents. Lixella began picking up a few more things for school. Her moon-faced owl, Illuna, sat perched in the corner, as usual. She flew off of the perch and onto Lixella's right arm. She then stepped forward into her cage, and was rewarded with a dead mouse.

"good girl, Illunia" Lixella said, petting the owl, "I'm sorry we have to leave"

She closed the black iron door, to the cage, and placed it on top of the other bags. She then walked over to her enchanted mirror, and began staring at her reflection. Her soft angeled face held a distant expression. The only light in the room was dim sunlight. It danced across her pale skin, bathing her features in an even tone. Her arms were lightly crossed, holding onto each other. Her hands had slender fingers, evenly spaced because of her past piano lessons. Her outfit was no more than a simple short black dress, with argyle print tights. The fabric slumped over, along with her posture. Her figure was slender and curved. She looked healthy, but not starved. She had a high waist, and average hips. Lixella stared down at her feet. They were a size 8 ½ , and connected to long legs. Her whole form looked unsure and confused. She ran a hand through her long black hair. It fell down past her chest in soft curls. Her hair was styled like a 50s pinup model. On her head sat a small tilted black witches hat, adorned with black lace. Black netting came off of the hat, covering her face. A pair of dark purple eyes met hers.

She sighed as she stared at her reflection. She liked the way she looked, but didn't like her mood today. She removed her wand from it's case by her waist-belt. It was made from a willow tree, with a unicorn hair core. It was long, slender, and white. The handle was carved with swirling thorned vines. The head of the wand twisted in an upwards spiral. At the bottom, the creator had carved a delicate blossom. It was ornate and elegant. Lixella always felt that her wand suited her, it seemed to understand her potential better than she did.

She tapped her enchanted mirror three times, and it shrunk to the size of a folded shirt. She placed the mirror in a luggage bag, and headed downstairs to locate her aunt. Lixella would miss her home. She was unsure if she would ever get to see it again. She carried her bags downstairs to the flying carriage. Her aunt preferred to travel in a carriage rather than by flu powder. She sternly believed that flu powder was a messy way of traveling. Carriages were much cleaner, and stylish. Her aunt's house-elf, Lita, began carrying the luggage. She was lifting ten times her size.

"you don't have to do that, Lita" Lixella said to the house-elf, "I can carry it, myself"

"do NOT talk to the help that way, Lixella" her aunt spat while giving a strict look, "you are a Cruxshade! Carrying luggage is for the lesser beings, not us pure-bloods. Especially NOT someone with a lineage such as the Cruxshade name!"

"…you aren't a Cruxshade by blood…" Lixella whispered, almost inaudibly.

"what was that young lady?" her aunt asked.

"Nothing, just me finally figuring out why you married my uncle" Lixella stated plainly. She began to head down the staircase, towards the carriage outside.

Iris was left staring at the young girl, her mouth hanging open in disgust. She then proceeded to kick the house elf, sending little Lita flying across the foyer. And finally, she screeched for the "creature" to get back to work. Lita sprang to her feet, and began loading the luggage again. Lixella could tell that she wouldn't like living with her aunt.

"Glad to know the rest of my life looks unpleasant!" She stood on the porch and stared at the black carriage. Her aunt pushed past her and proceeded, in a heated tone, down the front steps. The weather was lovely, but the mood was terrible. It was as if the universe was mocking her. She did not want to leave. She did not want to live with her judgmental relatives. And she did not want to go to Hogwarts! But none of it was her decision. Her life had to change, she had to leave it behind. She turned to the door to lock the Duskwood Estate Manor, one last time.

"Pario key" she whispered, and the house key appeared in her hand. She locked the door, and swallowed the key whole. Lixella sat in the carriage, watching her aunt yell at Lita. From here, her life changed, forever.


	2. Parchment 2: The Cruxshade Manor

Welcome to Parchment 2! I want to start by thanking Cassia4u and xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, for being my first two reviewers! Thanks so much guys, I wasn't sure about this story. But now that I have some good feedback I'm going to keep writing it. I also failed to mention that this takes place in the 6th book. And bare with me if I get some details wrong, I remember very little since I read it over a year ago. I'm currently re-reading it.

But anyways...thanks for tuning into my fanfiction, and Enjoy! oh, and review ^_^Thanks!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out <span>

Parchment 2: The Cruxshade manor

~ Lixella ~

Lixella stared out the window of the flying carriage. They had been soaring over the Atlantic ocean for the past 2 hours. The water was sparkling a brilliant shade of dark blue. It amazed Lixella that the colors were vivid even from the clouds. It was lovely outside, and the clouds rolled by gracefully. However, the mood in the carriage was dull. The entire journey consisted of her staring out the window. Her aunt would chime in every few minutes with some small talk.

"so, that school you go to…what's the name of it?"

"Lunareth"

"Ah yes! Lunareth….what year are you again?"

"This is my sixth year, aunt Iris"

"I remember my sixth year in school…"

The conversation always headed towards some story of aunt Iris's "glory days". She would talk about her large group of friends in slytherin house. How they all came from upstanding families, and basically ran the school.

"Do you have dorm houses in Lunareth?"

"Yes"

"oh, really? Which one are you in?"

"Mothwing, it's the house for the intelligent qwirky people. Basically the ones who are intuitive, creative, and have great potential but don't often flaunt it. My mother was in it, too."

"That sounds like Ravenclaw house, at Hogwarts. Do they have one that resembles Slytherin?"

"Probably Venomix, it's the house for the bad kids."

Aunt Iris's face showed little humor towards that statement. Of course, there was more to Venomix than being "bad". It was the house for the kids who were cunning, clever, and desperate to prove themselves. Though, most of them were a bit misguided. But, Lixella didn't want to compliment her aunt, in any way possible.

"Did you have any friends there?" she stated as if it was meant to be an offensive question.

"Quite a few actually. We were all pretty close in Mothwing. I'll miss Nym Muse the most though, she's my best friend."

Nym Muse and Lixella had been best friends since their first year. They met on the Lunareth skyrail. The skyrail transported students via a series of flying boxcars to Lunareth in Salem, Massachusets. Each student had a special port key, that took them to a destination, where the skyrail picked them up. For the kids in Sleepy Hollow, the port key was a lantern that only turned up between the hours of 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. at a dock by a lake. Once at the port key, you only had to recite the destination, Lunareth sky port. Then the students and parents would transport to the american wizarding sky port, near New York City.

Nym was beating up a boy in the corner who had just made fun of her hair. Her hair was red and purple, and oddly genetic. Lixella started to pry her off of the boy, whose name was Mickey Mageling. He was the same age as them. He lived in Sleepy Hollow, and Lixella used the same port key as him. Once Nym was pried off of Mickey, she demanded to know why. At this point in time, Mickey said something very stupid.

"God, Cruxshade! I can take her on myself, thanks" he stood up, "I don't need a stupid girl to save me!"

Lixella stared at him, in shock. She looked over to Nym, whose jaw was nearly on the floor.

"Oh really?" lixella said, "Nevermind, umm….who are you?"

"Nym…Nym Muse" said the red and purple haired girl.

"Well Nym….please proceed with your previous engagement. Clearly I am not needed here! I apologize for interrupting your work." Lixella turned to walk away, "Oh….and bite his ankles. That makes him scream like a little girl!"

Ever since then, the two of them had been best friends. They were sorted into the same house, Mothwing. Around their 3rd year, they decided to make it their goal to bring down Mickey and his band of Venomix minions. Throughout the year they devised a series of pranks. These consisted of hexes, jinxes, and a few potions that turned peoples noses into duck bills. Nym was the greatest person Lixella had ever met. The two of them would get in and out of heaps of trouble. Living without her would be one of the hardest challenges Lixella had ever faced.

She began staring out the carriage window again. They had finally reached land. The sun was going down, far off in the distance. She turned to look out the other window, and saw Lita sitting quietly in the corner. Lixella hated the idea of house elves, it was a pet peeve of hers. Her family had a few house elves. Her favorite was named Minni. She was a very sweet house elf, and did not deserve to be chained to house chores. The other house elves felt that they had no choice but to work at the Duskwood estate.

Minni was Lixella's relief from her pure-blood life. Around her 4th year at Lunareth, Lixella came home for Christmas. There was a big party, with her extended family at the house. One of the family members, on her mom's side, kicked Minni against the front door. It injured her, badly, and took weeks to get her back on her feet. Lixella had been working on a Christmas present for Minni, she gave it to her early. It was a dress, small enough for a house elf. She had bought it in the children's section of a wizard clothing store. Minni was so happy that she ended up crying, and promised to come back and see Lixella. However, it was impossible for her to find Lixella, now.

"Ah, here we are!" her aunt exclaimed as she peered out the window, "Oh! Look…Zander is home. He must be here for your big arrival."

Her uncle Zander was rarely ever at his home. He spent his days at the ministry, or Nocturne alley in Bourgin and Burkes. Lixella hadn't seen her uncle Zander since she was little. In fact, the last time she saw him was during the only memory she had of her childhood. As she remembered, he was tall, with skin a bit darker than hers. His hair was black and rather short. He always wore pin striped suits, covered by a black cloak. His figure was well built, with long legs. His hands were wide and manlier than her father's, his were long like Lixella's. His face was angular, and he had a well cut mustache. His eyes were a bright green. She wondered if he still had the mustache.

The carriage landed, and Lita rushed out of the carriage to get the bags. Two more house elves exited the house to open the carriage door, and retrieve luggage.

"Zander, darling!" her aunt called out, extending her arms. Lixella stared at the Cruxshade manor, it was what she remembered. The whole manor was shaped like an L, with a large tower at the axis. The house was three stories, counting the servants quarters at the top. The house was built with green stone. At the base of the tower was the entrance to the house. It had black stone stairs that lead to three archways. The middle arch was higher then the others, and lead to large double doors. The columns that held up the entrance were black carved spirals. The corners had small towers on one end. The other end was circled off into a large ballroom, with tall tinted windows. White roses were spread along the base of the house. The carriage came around a dirt entrance, shaped like a circle. The entrance of the estate was gated off with black iron fencing.

Lixella stood and marveled at the manor. It was extravagant, in every sense of the word. There were even hanging lanterns on either side of the double doors. They were bent to resemble vines curling up a wall. She used to come to the Cruxshade manor often when she was younger, but couldn't remember most of the trips.

"Lixella, I haven't seen you in years" she turned to see her uncle Zander. His arms were extended outward and open, waiting for a hug. He still had the mustache.

"uncle Zander!" she yelped, she ran over to hug him. Lixella really did like her uncle Zander. They didn't agree on everything, but she always thought he was a good uncle to her. Like her parents, he was a death eater. However, it was hard for her to judge him for that seeing as practically their entire family were, too.

"Is Arthus here too?" she asked. Arthus was her favorite and only cousin. He was much older than Lixella, and had graduated Hogwarts a year earlier. He worked at the ministry in the department of mysteries. He wanted to specialize in divination. However, his parents did not approve of it. Lixella learned a lot of pranks from Arthus, he was her magical mentor at one point in their lives.

"No, I'm afraid Arthus is away on business" said her uncle, "We won't be seeing him until Halloween, at least"

She frowned, Lixella missed Arthus, a lot. He was the only family member that understood what it was like to disagree with your parents morals. Like her, he didn't like the pure-blood standard of society. In fact, he was nearly sorted into Gryffindor, but the hat decided on slytherin instead. Arthus was fine with it, since most of his friends were in slytherin, too.

"Well, I guess we should get you to your new room" her uncle exclaimed. Lixella frowned, remembering that this was her home now.

"Hey.." her uncle grabbed her shoulders, "it's okay, I miss them too". Her uncle drew her into a tight hug. Tears ran down Lixella's face, she couldn't bring herself to fully cry. She had to be strong. If she wasn't, then she would lose her sanity.

Her uncle showed her to her room upstairs. It was about the same size as the one at the Duskwood estate. However, this one had considerably higher ceilings. The carpeting was white. The Windows were tall and wide. They faced the back of the house. In the distance was a small pond, with floating lilly pads. The entire room was empty, aside from a large queen size bed on the opposite wall. It had a canopy, with purple curtains that hung down from the black iron bars. The metal work looked French. The head board had black iron that curled to resemble thorny vines, In the center was an empty circle. The foot board was also black iron, and resembled the head board almost perfectly, also with an empty circle.

"All right.." her aunt said as she entered the room, "let's set this place up"

She wheeled in a large trunk, that wasn't Lixella's.

"I hope you don't mind. I bought you a few things. We haven't used this room since you were little."

The trunk popped open with a flick of her wand. Out of it jumped two wardrobes, a vanity set, a dresser, a desk, and a chair. Each item was painted either white or purple. They all had curled detailing on them, giving them an old French look. The chair was interesting. It was a large and white, with a purple cushion. However, the bottom resembled a rocking chair.

"I thought you'd like these colors because they show up a lot around your house."

Her aunt was surprisingly considerate, for once. She then went on to paint the walls light purple. She enchanted the walls so that it had black butterflies that flew around every few minutes. They also flew when Lixella opened her wardrobes.. After the furniture was all set up, aunt Iris waved her wand one last time, and set all of Lixella's things in their proper places.

"Ah…"she said, lowering her wand, "this is a lovely room"

"My god! Thank you aunt Iris!"

"oh it's no problem dear…I hate unpacking myself. I thought it would help you if I did it for you." She walked around the room, inspecting that everything was in it's place. She stopped abruptly once she saw the bed.

"Oh yes…this is a special bed. You can put whatever you'd like in the circles." she tapped the bed twice and shot a stream of light at each circle. The black iron, on the head board, curled into the Cruxshade family crest. Then, the black iron, on the foot board, curled into a willow tree, the Duskwood crest. Lixella began to tear up again. She hated being so emotional, but it was impossible to control.

"There you go dear! Now, we'll be eating dinner at around nine tonight. Since we got here late. Oh, and tomorrow your uncle is taking you to Diagon alley to pick up your books. He also has some business at Bourgin and Burkes. Your Hogwarts letter came in the mail today! Congratulations. I know you'll do just fine!"

Her aunt left the room, closing the large white door behind her. Lixella walked over to her new desk and picked up the Hogwarts letter, scanning the books she'd need. She'd have to get a new uniform, too. Everything was changing, so quickly. All she could do was sit and watch it happen.

She decided to write a letter to Nym. After all, Nym was the only one left who could really be missing her. She wished that she could keep going to Lunareth. But, the skyrail didn't depart from anywhere in England, or Europe for that matter. She would have to go to Hogwarts. Hopefully, her time there would help her pull herself back together.

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><p>Yay! Finally out of pre-story! next chapter we get to finally see Lixella in a part of the book!<p>

Thanks for reading! come back soon! and review please ^_^


	3. Parchment 3: Deleted Memories

Well, now that we are technically out of pre-story mod, here's just a chapter on the back story. I know I promised we'd get into the book by this chapter but, I started typing this and fell in love with it!

Oh and by the way thanks to my reviewers...The Original Aussie Ninja, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Hanna Shadis 101, and Afrenchgirl...thanks for the encouragement you guys!

Read and enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 3: Deleted Memories and Recovered Weapons

Flame lit lanterns hung every few inches apart, along the gravel pathway. Their light licked and danced across the shiny rocks below. They cast their surroundings into a dim white light. The pathway was straight, leading from a large stone manor to an iron gate. Large thicker cut bushes bordered either side of the pathway. The moon shown down, giving everything a nightly glow. It had reached a 3rd of a way into the sky, signaling around 9 o'clock.

Several people stood on this pathway. Three with white hair, a man, a woman, and a young boy. They stood at the entrance to the manor, along with a figure who was darker, more out of place. The darker figure, stood with black hair, wildly tumbling down her back, and dark sinister eyes. A ways down the path were 4 figures, all adorning traveling cloaks. They headed towards a carriage, pulled by flying horses. Among them were a man, a woman, a pre-teen boy, and a young girl. The two groups stood opposite, waving to the other side.

The little girl stared down the path at the pale family, holding tight to her aunts hand. She was then guided into the carriage, and stared back out of the window. At the entrance was a boy, her age, with almost white hair. He saw her, and began making taunting faces. She repeated the gesture by pressing her face up against the glass, and pulling her ears out like a monkey. This lasted for several seconds, before their guardians saw them. A woman with two colored light hair, kneeled down, and shook the boy by the door. He jerked around and pouted at the ground. The girl was yanked down into her seat by a tall woman with brown hair. The two children looked back at each other one last time, and stuck their tongues out, as a last remark. The two females looked at each other and shook their heads, at the children's juvenile behavior. The carriage then began departing the premises.

The two parties, however, were unaware of a dark figure lurking in their presence. Two men dressed in dark red robes, appeared from behind the gated entrance. One was a tall man, with chiseled features, and a scar over his left eye. The other was a more stout man, not much shorter, with a circular face, and dark skin. The two looked at each other, with a nod, and apparated out of sight. With a loud "pop", they ended up in front of a large green stone manor. It had been hours since they began following the family. But, they only wanted one thing, the young girl in the carriage. At this time of night the whole family was asleep. The two men needed only to get inside, without anyone noticing.

The dark skinned man took out a bag of white crystals, and scraped them together. They produced a brilliant white spark. The other caught the spark of light on the end of his wand, and lightly blew on it. The spark turned into a brilliant white flame, which he tossed towards the front door. The white flame whizzed and popped, then hit the door with a thud and fell to the ground. The front door glimmered a brilliant shade of yellow.

"There aren't any curses left on the lock, Arclese. That house elf we sent a month ago did a good job of getting rid of them." Said the tall man to the dark skinned one, Arclese.

"Well, Tidon, I guess tonight is the night then. We have to take the girl."

The two figures, cloaked in red, made their way into the house with their wands drawn. The only being awake was a young house elf. Her features were pointed, and she was dressed in a burlap frock, with a rope tied around her waist. She peered around the corner at the two men, and made her presence known.

"Lita" Arclese said to the small house elf, "where is the little girl?"

"Lita knows where she is" she said in a high whisper, "but master must promise first that he will not harm her."

"how dare you ask something of your superiors!" yelped Tidon

"The young girl has been the only bearable one in this house. Lita wants to make sure she is safe. Lita thinks that, when the girl is older, she will make a better person out of others. And master must promise not to hurt her!" Lita stood with her chest out, and her hand on her hips. She looked at the two men with a determined face.

"Lita, we promise we won't hurt her!" said Arclese softly, "But you understand that she is vital to our mission…and therefore, she may experience some unhappiness."

"Alright, I will show you where she is. And of your other promise?"

"We will set you free…once we have the child!" sneered Tidon

"follow me…and transform"

The two men transformed into mice, and scurried around Lita's feet as she ascended the staircase. They headed down a tall hallway, with sleeping portraits. Lita had put an enchantment on them, so no one would wake up from their presence. They turned at the great stone tower, to the other wing of the house, and headed up a smaller flight of spiraling stairs. The night air was cold, and the moonlight was faded onto the window pane. At the end of the hall was a large white door. It was decorated with swirling black vines, that moved. Lita turned to the two mice as she reached the door.

"This is where she sleeps. The room below this one has a floo system. You can exit out there. I will stay out here and keep watch."

The two men entered underneath the door, so as not to wake the girl. Once inside, they transformed back into humans. Arclese crept over to a white wooden bed, across from the large window. It was white and curled on either end, with purple wool blankets. In the bed lay a small child. She was a young girl, no more than 7, with long black hair. Her skin was so pale, she almost glowed in the moonlight. Her face was peaceful, filled with the happiness of the dreams in her head. Tidon looked down at the small sleeping child. A look of confusion crossed his face.

"Is this really her?" he asked, "she hardly looks like the child that was foretold."

"A child with skin as pale as the moon, and hair as dark as a raven. Her eyes turned purple by the darkness in her blood. Born in the 13th generation to carry the cursed blood of Duskwood. But, with the power and skill of the name, Cruxshade. She will one day be awakened and resurrect the dark woodlings of the Evening forest."

Arclese recited the line straight from memory. He had been hearing it his entire life. He was the first one to prophesize that this child would be born. They intended to kidnap her, and raise her as a leader. Then, when the day came, she would be able to conjure them an army. That had been his plan ever since the prophesy came to him during a ritualistic sacrifice.

"take the potion! If she wakes up, we want her to trust us" he whispered harshly.

Tidon, his partner, took a polyjuice potion from his bag, and drank it. His features twitched around until his face turned into a resemblance of the girl's uncle Zander. He then picked the small child up out of her bed.

The young girl stirred awake, and opened her large teel eyes. She stared for a second at the man holding her. Her vision was blurred from sleep, but he looked like her uncle.

"Uncle Zander, where are we going?" she asked wiping sleep from her eyes.

"We're going on an adventure, sweet…heart?" said Tidon

"Uncle…my name's Lixella" she yawned, "you know that"

Lixella curled up against Tidon, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Why are you wearing these funny clothes?" she questioned, more awake now, "and who is that man?" She pointed a small finger at Arclese, who smiled at her.

"go to sleep Lixella. When you wake up, we'll be on a grand adventure."

"What if I don't want to go?" she asked

"We _have_ to go!" said Tidon

"I don't want to go uncle Zander. You promised we would visit the alley tomorrow, and show me the shops you own." she said. Lixella's uncle was invested in a series of shops on Nocturne Alley. He did not own them, but he had a great deal of money put in to keep them opened. Frequently, when she would visit, he would bring her along on his daily rounds. Lixella loved seeing the shops, especially Bourgin and Burkes, because of the wondrous items there.

"Well, we can't do that now…we're going to someplace special" Arclese said. Tidon was getting tired of the little girl's talking, she would wake someone up if they couldn't get her back to sleep. Suddenly, he felt his face twitching. In a matter of seconds his face had turned from uncle Zander's, to his own.

"You aren't uncle Zander!" the little girl whined, shocked by his transformation, "No! I don't wanna go….let me go!" She began to struggle out of his arms. They were only halfway down the staircase. Lixella began throwing a tantrum, but the house was too large for anyone to hear, immediately. Tidon removed his wand from it's case, and pointed it between her eyes. Lixella stared at the wand, cross eyed, and shaking.

"Imperio" he whispered, and an emerald mist floated out of the wand, and surrounded the small child. Lixella's eyes grew heavy, and she stared off into the distance.

"Keep quiet!" said Tidon. Lixella's mouth shut so tight, that she almost couldn't breath. "And, go to sleep until we tell you to wake up…and don't make a sound!" he whispered, rather annoyed. The little girl rested her head on his shoulder again, and drifted off to sleep. She became so quiet, that the two men were nearly concerned that she had stopped breathing.

They finally reached the room at the other end of the building. Lita waited for them outside of the door. She lead them into a room, that appeared to be a library of sorts. The walls were tall and the room was wide. Bookshelves covered every corner. At the center of the room was a large fireplace, with floo powder hanging from a bucket.

"This way, masters!" she said, "Is Lixella okay?"

"She's fine, Lita…she's been sleeping!"

"You promise not to hurt little Lixella?"

"Yes, Lita we promise" said Tidon, "Now get out of here!"

"but...you promised Lita you would free her" the elf shouted.

"Well, we ain't doin that" said Arclese, "we order you to spend the remainder of your days in this house. If the girl should turn up here again, you must protect her, and bring her back to us. She'll become your master then…you understand?"

"No! Lita will not stay in this house!" she yelped

"too bad Lita….you're my house elf…and I'm ordering you to stay here! And speak of this to no one…" yelled Arclese. He kicked the small house elf back, away from the fire place.

"Flat 23 Nocturne Alley" yelled Tidon as he threw the powder down. Green flames engulfed the three figures in the fireplace. In seconds, they vanished up through the chimney, leaving only ashes. Lita got up and turned around. Her head hung below her shoulders. She could not believe that she was stuck in this house until the girl returned. She could only hope that the men weren't harming her, and that she'd return one day, and free Lita. The little girl was the only pureblood she knew that had any kind of compassion for other magical creatures. Then, a terrible thought crossed her mind. _What if the masters turn Lixella into one of those terrible people? What if she becomes like the people in the house? If so, then it would all be Lita's fault._

"Lita must warn someone!" she ran down the hall, around the tower, and to the bedroom of her new owners. She busted through the door so quickly that it almost dented the wall.

"Master, please wake up, Lixella is…"her mouth shut tight. She remembered that she was ordered to not speak a word of what had happened.

Uncle Zander shot out of his bed, waking his wife, who looked completely puzzled.

"How _dare_ you wake us in the middle of the night!" yelped aunt Iris.

"What the bloody hell is wrong, Lita?" he demanded with force, "tell me!"

"pah…"she had regained her speaking abilities, "little Lixella…she's not in her bedroom, sir! Lita heard a loud popping noise in the foyer and went to go see what it was. But, there was no one, so I chased two mice I found! I lost track of them, but then I noticed Lixella's door was open so I checked and she was gone!"

Zander almost jumped out of his nightshirt. He quickly located slippers, and hastily put them on. He and Iris then sped down the hall, towards Lixella's guest room. The door was wide open. He rushed across the floor, and yanked the wool sheets off of the bed. To his dismay, Lixella was no where to be found. He went into a panic. He woke his son and conjured every house elf they had. He ordered them to check the entire estate, front to back. There was no sign of her.

Finally, after 4 hours of searching all the land he owned, Zander admitted defeat. He called up the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, and reported a kidnapping of his young niece. He knew that if his brother got wind of this, William would never forgive him.

After an entire summer of searching, Lixella was found sitting outside of a shop in Nocturne alley. When she was asked why she was there, she said that she couldn't remember. In fact, she couldn't remember a lot. It was suspected that the wizards who kidnapped her, knowing that they were at large, used the occlumency charm to wipe her of her memories from the past few months.

Zander received a call that his niece had been found. His brother had come to stay with him, for the week. However, when they reached the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, little Lixella was not the same. The head of misplaced magical children brought Lixella out to them. She ran over to her father and gave him a big hug, telling him that she'd missed him over the summer. Her father, with distraught, noticed that her eyes had changed to a deep purple. It was as he'd feared, someone had figured out the secret of their daughter. The worst part was, she did not remember any of that whole summer. Bits and pieces came back to her, at random times. But the only clear memory she could recover, was leaving Malfoy manor that night. She mentioned about someone lifting her from her bed, but they whispered something funny to her, and she fell asleep again. It was suspected that the wizards used the imperius curse. Lixella would forever spend her life trying to recover that summer. However, it would take years before someone was able to bring those memories back to her.

Around 10 years later, a flat above a store in Nocturne alley lay in shambles. The oak wooden walls were singed with ashes, and the whole place smelled of burning death. The floors were covered with clutters of items. Everything had been strewn about, from books, to chairs. Two dark red cloaks hung from an alter by the fire place, in the living room. On the floor, lay two bodies. One was a stout man with dark skin, named Tidon. The other, a tall pale man with chiseled features, named Arclese. The two lay in a pool of blood, both with shocked faces, forever stained on their lifeless features.

A snake slithered between them, circling the room with curiosity. Two men cloaked in black were rummaging around the house. A third figure in a billowing dark robe paced the room. His pale eyes peered around the disgusting flat, and halted at an enchanted shelf. He recited a phrase and the shelf gracefully opened to reveal a pensive. Around the pensive lay vials of memories. Each memory had a date on it, along with the name "Cruxshade".

Voldemort stared intently at the bottles of glimmering memories. His eyes moved up until they met with a swirling glass orb. It began whispering to him. He picked it up off of the shelf and held the orb to his ear. It foretold of a child, born pureblood of two strong families. Who was identified by purple eyes, and the name Cruxshade. Voldemort listened with interest as the prophecy went on. A cynical smile crept over his face, as the prophecy told of an army that she could raise from the darkness.

"When the child comes of age as a witch she will possess the power to raise that which her family vanquished. And the dark woodlings shall not see her as the enemy, but as their leader. She needs only to have her other side awakened by the age of 17."

"Stop searching, you great buffoons!" yelled Voldemort, "I've found what we were looking for. Send a summons to the death eaters, they must be told to look out for a girl named Cruxshade."

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><p>I really want to know how she came up with the name Voldemort...it's just so, fitting ya know?<p>

anyways, an appearance by the dark lord himself, always fun when dead bodies are involved!

Chapter 4 coming soon...I think I'll title it "Boy from the past" or "Hey, you're that mean kid!"

please review...and thanks for the support ^_^


	4. Parchment 4: Boy from the Past

Happy New year, everyone! it's 2012 at last!

Well...we have reached parchment 4. I call them parchments because I dislike the word chapter. I discovered that I was spelling Knockturn alley wrong, slapped myself for that one.

thanks for reading so far, hope you've enjoyed it! also, thanks to naynay87 for putting this on their storywatch!

Hope you guys enjoy! and send me some reviews ^_^

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 4: Boy from the past

The sun rose at 7 15 a.m. on a rather lovely Saturday. It tinted the clouds in the sky with gold and pink. The grass stood tall, greeting the morning dew, as the temperature changed. A soft breeze flew through the trees, sweeping the leaves into the air as it passed. The birds woke from their sleep and began delightfully chirping at the new day. The sound was carried on vibrations up to the window of Lixella Cruxshade. But, Lixella Cruxshade was not as happy as the birds were this morning. She lay awake in bed, staring at the butterflies swirling across the ceiling.

She had that dream again, the one where she leaves that large house and gets taken from her bed. It was almost every other night that she had that vision appear to her. It haunted her, she could not remember who the people in the memory were. She knew she had seen them before. They were hard to forget since they were all so very blond. And there was one of them who was not as fair as the others, with eyes as crazy as a rabbid werewolf. She'd seen the people in that memory, she had been to that house before, but who were they?

She knew that they were friends of her aunt and uncle's, probably from Hogwarts. Most likely the adults were in Slytherin with them. Sometimes Lixella wished she had grown up in England, then she'd know these people better. In America, word of what was going on didn't spread quickly. American wizards had their own problems to deal with, little time to worry about Europe. How many times had she been to that house? Dozens, but it was so long ago. Lixella despised her lost memory, not only did it wipe that summer, it also blurred most of her childhood. She desperately wanted it back, almost to the point of madness.

She tried to remember the name of that boy she used to play with.

"It started with like an F…no a G? Maybe, a D?" she muttered to no one, "Yes, a D! Dammit, what are the rest of the letters? Derrick, Desmond, Darwin….Dillard?" It was hopeless, she could not remember. Lixella sighed in a fit of rage, and slammed her face into her pillow. She violently grabbed the blanket, and pulled it over her head. She tossed to one side and attempted to force herself asleep. It was impossible, now that she was awake. "Sometimes I wish the imperius curse was legal! Then I could use it on myself and tell myself to go to sleep until someone wakes me….that would be wonderful!" She stated, staring at her white willow wand on the night table. She pulled the covers over her face again, until the birds started chirping.

At 7 a.m. Lixella wasn't the most polite and kind person. She gave the birds a chance to quiet down, but found it silly and pointless. Instead, she rummaged through the room, looking for a special present for her avian friends. She grabbed a black clump out of a bag in her drawer. She then chucked the black clump at the tree outside of her window. With a loud "Crack!" the ball exploded into a mist of bright powder. All of the birds quickly zoomed out of the tree, in a panicked frenzy. She gave a smirk and yelled, "don't come back!" Then , closed the window and jumped onto the bed, to try to sleep.

To her surprise she had succeeded in forcing herself asleep. She awoke, 5 hours later, to the sound of tapping on her door. "Come in!" she yelled, and the door opened to reveal Lita, the house elf.

"Lita has brought miss Lixella breakfast!" she said holding up a tray. It was lovely, a silver tray lay there holding a white polished plate. On the plate sat bacon, eggs, two sausages, and toast, with a glass of juice on the side.

"Doesn't everyone here usually eat at the table?" she asked

"Well, yes.., but, your uncle is at work. And, your aunt has headed to the ministry to set a date for the reading of your parent's will. Arthus just isn't here. So therefore, you're the only person in the house." exclaimed the small elf. Lixella mentally slapped herself for forgetting all about her parent's will.

"Oh…wow, did they say when they would be back?"

"Master Zander said to tell you to be ready by at least 3, to go to Diagon Alley. He also wishes to warn you that it is not what it used to be, due to the uprising of you-know-who."

"Well, great! War usually makes everything prettier….right?" she said with sarcasm. The little elf just stared at her with large shocked eyes. "I don't mean it Lita…war is terrible!"

"Good…Lita thought that Lixella had become more like her family. Lita would not like that!"

"me neither…Lita, me neither. Oh, and thanks for breakfast!" she said taking the tray. Lita smiled. Lixella shoved a slice of bacon towards her, "want some? You can have a piece". Lita took the piece of bacon and laughed, she thanked Lixella and poofed away. Lixella devoured the breakfast, after realizing her hunger level. She hadn't eaten in a while because of her parents, the moving, and the memories. Once she was finished she headed to the closet.

After an hour, she was finished getting ready, and there was a loud noise form downstairs. Her uncle had returned home via the floo system. He dusted off his black cloak and turned to Lixella.

"Ready for that trip to Diagon Alley?" he said with a big smile. His smile seemed a bit forced, like he was hiding something. He peered down at his cane for a second, sighed, and looked up. His face appeared defeated for a split second. Once he saw Lixella standing there, it twisted into a look of nostalgic happiness.

"You okay, uncle Zander?" she asked, in a small concerned voice.

"Well, Lixella….I have to tell you something" he paused for a few seconds, "I miss your father. I miss him terribly."

"me too…uncle Zander, me too" she said. He still seemed to be hiding something. They stood in silence for a second, staring at the floor.

"Well…shall we be off?" he said, popping his head up. The two of them headed downstairs to the fireplace. Her uncle took a handfull of the silver powder from the bucket. "Knockturn alley" he shouted, and the two of them became blanketed in green flames. Lixella tried to catch her footing as they landed in Knockturn alley. She always became dizzy from floo powder travel. Her uncle was the only relative that used it often.

The two of them stepped out into the shop. It was dark and filled with boxes. This shop was cursed, ever since her uncle bought it. Every store that had been put here, had failed. They strode out onto the cobbled street. The weather was terrible. There was a cold misty chill. It was so dismal that it seemed to put Lixella in a bad mood. She shook it off, and kept walking.

They finally arrived at Diagon alley. Lixella looked around, it certainly was not as marvelous as she remembered. The street was dull, and smelled like wood rot. Most of the stores, once glimmering with life, were now abandoned. The street lamps, even, were a bit dimmer now. It was like, someone had just come along, and ripped the place apart. Every person who walked around, did so with a large group. They traveled, with hidden terror, keeping close to each other. If this is what Voldemort's world looked like, then Lixella was sure she did _not _want to be a part of it!

They went through various stores, she bought all of her books. She got some more owl feed, and treats, for Illunia. They even stopped by the quidditch shop, for broom supply. Lixella had never considered playing quidditch. She rode her broomstick for sheer enjoyment. Her model was a Dawndrifter 2005. Her mother had the same broomstick, and swore by them. They used to go riding together on Sunday mornings. Her mother was on the quidditch team at her school, when she was younger. She was the keeper, and was team captain of Mothwing for her last two years.

After acquiring new items for broom upkeep, Lixella went to get fitted for her robes. Her uncle pointed her to the robe shop and said to meet him in Knockturn alley by Borgin and Burkes when she was done. Three kids and a giant pushed past them as they entered. Lixella swore that one of them was the famed Harry Potter, from the papers. Inside of the shop, a witch stood, cleaning her front table. She looked rather displeased, and was muttering something about how terrible children were. Lixella figured that she should be on her best behavior.

"Yes, hello…how can I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Lixella ma'am…..I just moved here from America. I'll be attending Hogwarts and, well, I am in need of new robes. My uncle highly recommended you, and told me to come here." she replied in her most polite voice. The witch smiled at her, as if she had found some hope in the world. She then rushed over to the pedestal and motioned for Lixella to come over.

"I'm Madame Malkin by the way. You seem like a very nice girl." She said as she took measurements. She took a robe out from a rack, and handed it to Lixella, pointing her towards a dressing room. Lixella came out moments later in the robe, it fit nice but was a bit big. Madame Malkin proceeded to place pins. They chatted for a bit about random things. Once she got the measurements after a few minutes, she rang Lixella up.

"You seem much less careful then the people out on the streets these days. Best keep an eye out. The world is in need of more kind youth. All I've seen are scared and angry children. Keep that attitude of yours up, don't lose it. Oh…and your robes should be ready by Monday. Here's your pick-up card, for when you return, have a wonderful day, Lixella."

With that, she left the store. She headed down the alleyway, passing small clumps of people. She was stopped by a man selling amulets. He had a withered looking face, and large eyes.

"Fancy an amulet? Great help when facing death eaters!" he held a rune encrusted leather necklace to her face.

"Already got one, thanks" she said, removing a locket from under her sweater. It was decorated with a willow tree, being burned. The man's eyes grew wide, he stared at the locket with much attention.

"Keep that one close, mum…it holds quite a great many…dazzling secrets" he began reaching for it. Lixella hastily removed her wand, and pointed it towards his nose.

"Try that again little man…and I will not hesitate to use this!" she said, with quite a dark tone. The man backed off. Lixella didn't know what had come over her quite then. She didn't usually pull her wand on people. Then again, the locket was one of the few things she had left of her mother's.

She headed down the dark entrance to Knockturn alley, thinking of her mother along the way. After darting around several corners, she reached her destination. The sign over the shop said Borgin and Burkes. She walked up to the door, and peered inside. She was able to make out several figures, until the door opened. Mr. Borgin, as she remembered him, stared at her with a displeased expression.

"Get outta 'ere, girl! Can't choo see we're closed!" he screamed, his breath smelled terrible. He was shoved aside by her uncle Zander.

"This!" he said pointing to Lixella, "is my niece….you incompetent buffoon!"

Her uncle Zander yanked the man away from the door. He exited and closed it behind him. "Lixella, glad to see you made it unharmed." That seemed like a responsible phrase to say. "Now, there are some people in the shop right now. And what they are looking at is very secretive, strictly death eater business. Just stay out here and I'll be done in a bit!" He pointed to a bench outside of the store window. She turned around, trying to get a peek of what was going on inside.

Inside of the shop, her uncle stood with his cane in hand, admiring a large black cabinet. It had belonged to one of his grandfather's, the other one was stowed away, safely, in Hogwarts. Across the room from him was a woman. She was the same age and had two colored hair. Her skin was fair and her eyes were a pale blue. Her name was Narcissa Malfoy. Beside her stood her son, admiring the large cabinet with wide eyes. He was around 16 or 17 years old, with nearly white hair, and skin as pale as his mother's. His name was Draco Malfoy.

"So…is it mendable?" asked Draco to uncle Zander.

"Yes…but for the life of me, I can not fix it. It has belonged to our family for ages. The crescent hinges represent our family crest! You see, my father intended to give it to my brother, William. Therefore, I never touched the darn thing. Now that he is…umm, dead…I've decided to give it to the shop. The other one lies in Hogwarts." he said, glancing out the window.

"It's quite lucky that you owned it, Zander. There would be no way in without it." Said Narcissa, in a slightly displeased voice.

"Well, can you mend it?" Draco asked to Mr. Borgin.

"Yeah, prolly just needs a few touch ups" he said, "It'll take a while though"

"If you are in need of Assistance Borgin. Just call me, I'll help however I can." Zander said with a smile.

"Good….great, I'll expect to be hearing from you soon then! You'd better be able to fix it, this is a big job!" said Draco as he jabbed a finger towards Mr. Borgin. The party then turned and exited the shop. Lixella, who had drifted off into her memories, looked up with slight shock.

"All done Uncle Zander? Oh...umm, Hello" She turned to the Malfoys, and curtsied slightly. Curtsying was a habit of hers, drilled into her skull by her grandmother.

"Ah… so sorry, you two, forgot to introduce my niece. How rude of me…this is my niece, Lixella." said her uncle. The boy stared intently at her with a surprised look.

"Oh, my…goodness!" said the woman, "Lixella, my dear, how you have grown. I have not seen you since you were a little girl." Narcissa stared at her with surprise as well.

"I'm so sorry ma'am. I lost my memory at the age of 7...one summer. I'm afraid I can only recall pieces of my childhood. Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh goodness…I forgot all about that summer. I'm Narcissa Malfoy" she pointed to herself, "and this is my son, Draco. You two used to play together when your aunt came to visit." She elbowed her son, "say hello, Draco".

"Oh, yeah…Hi" he said with an uncaring attitude.

Great Scott! That was him, Draco, he was that annoying child who haunted her only remaining memory. He looked like he hadn't changed from back then. His face was still in a constant smug expression. His hair still looked well greased up. And, he still smelled like terrible cologne.

"Merlins beard!" gasped Lixella, receiving strange looks, "Narcissa Malfoy, of course, I remember you. Both of you. And your husband…and your sister, I think." Narcissa's eyes lowered at the mention of her husband. It hadn't occurred to Lixella that he was in Azkaban. She mentally slapped herself, "I'm so sorry. I did not mean to…"

"it's fine…" said Narcissa in a small voice

"We all seem to be suffering losses" said Zander.

"I'm sorry about your father and mother, Lixella. They were good friends of ours." Narcissa said, smiling at her.

"Thanks" Lixella nodded. Her uncle inhaled sharply, and tried to change the subject.

"Lixella is attending Hogwarts. Now that she is living with us." he said.

"Well, wonderful. Perhaps you'll be sorted into Slytherin. Your aunt and uncle would like that, I'm sure" she smiled at Zander, who chuckled. "And then you and Draco would be dorm mates. Wouldn't that be great, Draco?" She nudged his shoulder. He snapped out of intensely staring to his right.

"Yeah….just peachy" he said sharply. Lixella looked at him with the same amount of displeasure. He hadn't even changed in personality.

"Yep…sounds wonderful" she replied just as sharply. His eye shot around to hers, she held his gaze with an unpleasant expression.

"Tch…let's go mom." he said smugly, and pushed past Lixella.

"Draco…don't be so rude! I swear…I'm sorry, you too. It was nice seeing you." she left, scurrying after her son. Once she caught up with him, she smacked him hard on the back of the head. Lixella chuckled as Draco began complaining to his mother.

"Ready to go?" asked her uncle. The two of them headed down the street, and back to the cursed shop. With a dash of floo powder, they had ascended into the abyss, and headed home for the night.

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><p>I hope this chapter wasn't too long. I try to make them 4 pages in Word Processor. This one turned out to be 5!<p>

Thanks for reading, send me a review! Hope to see you soon!


	5. Parchment 5: Something Old Something New

Wow! two in one night...and I have to board a train in three hours you guys have got to stop keeping me up all night ^_^

anyways, here's parchment 5, please Enjoy!reviews are always appreciated!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 5: Something Old, Something New

Lixella awoke on her own, for the first time in weeks. She had been spending her nights tossing to the haunting memory of her dead parents. Ever since she was able to figure out the name of that family, the Malfoys, she slept a lot better. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stared out of the window. It had become misty outside, just like in Diagon Alley. Lixella prayed that it did not continue. She despised dismal weather, it reminded her of her quickly changing life. A look of wonder came over her face. For some reason, she felt like she was forgetting something.

At that exact moment, her aunt burst through the door. Lixella jumped almost three feet in the air from shock. Aunt Iris wore a dark blue business dress, covered by a traveling cloak. She stared at Lixella in utter disgust.

"Young lady! You are supposed to be dressed!" she spat, "we are leaving to read the will of your parents, and pick up your dress robes!"

Lixella smacked her forehead. She completely forgot about the will reading. "Well, it's not like anyone woke me!" she spat back.

"Young lady! You should be able to wake yourself! After all you are turning 17 in the spring!" yelled aunt Iris, waving a fist in the air. Lixella rolled her eyes and headed for her closet. "Be ready in 10 minutes! That's all I'm giving you…or you will just have to stay here!" she shrieked.

"Yes ma'am" replied Lixella, defeated. She rummaged through her closet and found a nice purple dress. She placed a long black coat over it, with purple and green lace at the collar. The coat was part of her Lunareth uniform. The front came down below her waist, and circled to the back, which dropped to the floor. On her legs she wore black tights. These lead down to her short-cut boots, emerald, with heels. She put on the hat from her Lunareth uniform, as well. It was a small black fedora tilted witch hat, with lace accents, that curled at the tip. Lixella adored her school uniform. It was excessively elegant, but she preferred it that way.

She was surprised that she'd gotten ready in 9 minutes. Then again, she didn't think her aunt would actually leave without her. Especially considering that she was required to be present for the reading of the will. She headed down the spiraling stairs to the library, grabbing a piece of toast on the way. Her aunt stood by the fire place, looking extremely unhappy.

"I usually despise this floo powder" she began, "but seeing as we would be late with the carriage, we must travel this way."

She and Lixella stepped into the fireplace. Her aunt grabbed and handful of powder and yelled, "Ministry of Magic". The two women arrived in one of the many fireplaces, at the ministry. Lixella had never seen such a busy place. The rooms were crowded with people, dressed for work. News paper boys stood on the corner, yelling the latest news. The whole place was massive, made of black marble brick, and gold. The large building in front of them towered over Lixella, she couldn't believe that this place fit underneath the city. They made their way past the large fountain, and boarded an elevator. After a while, the elevator shook to a stop.

"Department of magical and misplaced possession claims" sounded a disembodied voice. Aunt Iris nudged Lixella forward. The two women headed through a hallway of paper sorting. Multitudes of wizards were sitting at desks, filing flying papers. Aunt Iris walked up to the front desk, "eh ehm", she cleared her throat. A round faced woman with small eyes, peered up at her. She looked displeased, and distracted. "I'm here for the will reading of William and Altria Cruxshade. This is their daughter, Lixella, and I am her aunt Iris."

"two doors down that way" the woman pointed towards a hallway, "I'll buzz in the attorney"

They proceeded down the hallway, and into a small office. It was made, also, of black marble, with several shelves of books and papers. The two ladies sat down, and a man dressed in dark robes entered. He was a tall older man, with round spectacles, and a slightly wrinkled face. He smiled and nodded at the two women as he sat down in his chair.

"Well, I am Canis Mulburt, your magical attorney. Do you have the will of William and Altria Cruxshade?" he asked. Aunt Iris removed a rolled piece of parchment from her purse. The Attorney tapped it with his wand, the paper sprang to life.

"Is a magical attorney present?" it questioned in a shrill voice.

"Yes…Canis Mulburt, magical attorney of the Ministry of magic." he stated professionaly. The parchment then unfolded completely, and ink rose from the paper.

"Let's see here. It says, '_In the even of both of our deaths, we leave our entire estate, it's valuables, and our fortune to our only daughter, Lixella. If she is not of age yet, then we ask that she be put under the care of her uncle, Zander Romulous Cruxshade, and her aunt, Iris Melody Regalton Cruxshade. The estate shall remain theirs, until she becomes seventeen, at which point she will gain ownership of everything.' _Well, congratulations, Lixella! However, you are not seventeen until March. So therefore, your aunt and uncle shall take care of you and the belongings of your parents, until your birthday on March 8th of this year." he read through the rest of the parchment, scanning for any minor details.

"Congratulations dear! Although, your uncle and I are happy to keep you, of course!" said her aunt Iris. She had secretly always wanted a daughter, but a god-daughter was close enough for her liking.

"Ah! I have found something, here." exclaimed the attorney, " It says that, '_Upon obtaining the Duskwood estate, Lixella also acquires the keys to the family room. Once Lixella is of age, she may enter the room, along with a mentor. The mentor must be a living Duskwood family member. Preferably her Aunt Marceline Duskwood Harrelton.'_ Is she still alive?"

"Yes…but I have not seen her since I was young. She lives in Scottland with her husband, Sean, I think." replied Lixella.

"Well, you should get in contact with her as soon as possible. This Family room seems very important. It says that your aunt Marceline is the one with the key to the room, it is now yours. All you need to do is ask for it." he stated plainly.

"Thank you, Mister Mulburt" said her aunt Iris. The two women got up and walked out of the room. "You' shall be living quite comfortably, when you are older. It was obvious though, that they would leave it all to you. However, the matter about your aunt, what is the 'family room' exactly?"

"It's a room that has records and history on the Duskwoods. It isn't obtainable until you've become a full witch or wizard. There are, apparently, certain family secrets, that I'm not allowed to know until I am of age. Usually my mother would be my mentor, but since she is dead, I guess it passes onto my aunt Marceline." Lixella explained. She couldn't wait to get in contact with her other aunt again. Marceline was always nicer than Iris was. It seemed that the Duskwoods in general were nicer than the Cruxshades.

Her aunt raised an eyebrow, but quickly shoved it off.

They made their way out of the ministry. This time when they entered the fire place, they headed towards Diagon Alley. Her aunt rushed across the cobbled street, wanting to get out as quickly as possible. She disliked being around hoardes of people she did not know. Especially ones that weren't as privileged as she was. She hurried Lixella into Madame Malkin's and picked up the robes.

"Thank you again!" chimed Madame Malkin as they left.

"We should head for your Uncle's cursed shop." said aunt Iris. They made their way down Knockturn alley. Two sketchy wizards, cloaked in black, eyed them as they made their way down the dark street.

"Oi! Ladies! You look like someone we're lookin' fer!" said one. Suddenly aunt Iris drew her wand, and pointed it towards the two men.

"Don't think I don't know who you gentlemen are!" she said.

"Woah lady!" the other stated, jumping back, "'ey…you there. Might your name be Lixella?"

"How….how did you know that?" she asked, drawing her wand.

"I don't think you gentlemen understand!" said aunt Iris, "My husband is Zander Cruxshade, and if he knew what you two were up to, he'd have your heads!" She stared at them with darkness in her eyes. The two men lowered their wands at the sound of uncle Zander's name. "If you ever try approaching my niece like that again, I'll be sure you are placed in Azkaban for it!" her eyes narrowed. The two men looked sharply at her wand.

"So sorry mum. We'll jus' be leavin' den!" the men lowered their heads and strutted away.

"What was that about, aunt Iris?" Lixella asked intently.

"Just a bunch of street rats. They know who you are, and who your father is. They probably wanted….your money, or to kidnap you, or something." she kept her wand out as they kept walking.

"Why would they want to kidnap me?" she asked

"You haven't realized just how powerful and ancient your bloodline is, Lixella. There are some questions that are better left alone."

"But…I…"

"Left alone, Lixella! Drop it!"

Her aunt was hiding something from her. Everyone seemed to know more than she did about what was happening. Their pace quickened as they turned the corner to the shop. However, once they got there, they stopped suddenly. Draco Malfoy was standing in front of the shop window, peering inside.

"Draco?" she asked aloud. He quickly turned around, with his wand drawn, "What are you doing in front of my husbands shop? And where is your mother?"

"She's uhh…she's not here, exactly." He glanced over at Lixella, who looked less than convinced. She gave him a look of boredom and attitude. "I'm here cuz I'm looking for your husband. It's about an item in Borgin and Burkes that he's fixing for my mum."

"oh…well, in that case you can come with us. We're about to head home, and he should be there any minute now." Aunt Iris then proceeded to unlock the shop door. Draco strode in behind Lixella.

"Now" her aunt started, "this won't fit three people, so I'll just have you travel with Lixella after me."

"Oh….lucky me" Lixella stated unpleasantly.

"Likewise" said Draco. Her aunt entered the large fireplace and busted into flames.

"So…no mother today, Draco. I thought you and your 'mummy' were so close" she nagged.

"Shut up, Cruxshade!" he said surveying her, "God! You haven't changed a bit since then. Still just as unpleasant!"

"At least I kept my looks, Malfoy! And, don't look like a tired tattered street dog!" she stated with equal venom.

"humph! You don't even know the kinds of terribly dark things I do to people! Could do to you!"

"I'm sorry, but last I checked, bullying kids for lunch money wasn't exactly 'dark' or terrible'" she spat

"At least my father stayed in England, instead of moving to that wretched America of yours!"

"HA! At least my father was good enough at his work to keep himself out of Azkaban!"

"At least my father is still alive!"

"Oh…really good, Draco. Are low blows your specialty? Or are you really just that pathetic?"

"Yeah…and your's wasn't low enough?"

"Not…nearly" she said narrowing her purple eyes. She stared at him through slits for a while, then jerked her head away and headed to the fireplace.

"Twat!" he spat

"Jerk!"

"Yank!"

"bloody brittish bastard!" she scorned him. The two of them stood beside each other, both looking in the opposite direction. Neither of them had missed each other much. In fact their entire relationship was based on bickering with one another. Ever since they were children, they had fought. Both of their families called it 'playing', because when anyone would come near them they'd act nice to each other. But once they left, the two became cold rivals again. They always pulled their anger out on one another. They weren't sure why they hated each other, but the arguing helped. After all, they both lived equally stressful lives.

Lixella picked up the floo powder and blew some in Draco's face. He coughed and sent her a glare.

"Why you disgusting little.."

But before he could finish they arrived in Cruxshade mansion, "harpy…you vial terrible woman" he finished. Lixella's aunt and uncle stood in the library, staring at him. A sinister grin crossed over Lixella's face.

"Lixella, why is Draco so mad with you?" her aunt demanded.

"No idea aunt Iris, he just began" she turned to him with a smirk, "spouting babble."

She turned around and exited the room, leaving Draco with his mouth hanging open. He was speechless. No one had been able to outsmart him when it came to insults.

"Oh…she _is_ good!" he whispered.

"ugh…children! Anyways my husband is downstairs, we're about to start dinner if you would like to join?"

"Sorry, but my mother is expecting me home soon. Can I talk to him now?" asked Draco.

"Sure, I'll show you where he is." Aunt iris led Draco down the flight of stone stairs. He passed Lixella along the way, she smiled politely at him and curtsied.

"Say hello to my uncle for me, Drakie" she said, a tone of mocking in her voice. Draco spun around and shot her a look, she knew he hated that name.

Lixella entered her room, with an accomplished feeling. She removed her jacket, hanging it on the closet door. She walked over to her desk and read off her book list, checking that she had them all. She had passed all of her O.W.L.s with good markings, so no classes were really limited. She had always been equally skilled in her classes. She was exceptionally good at defense against the dark arts, and divination. Potions was her least skilled subject, tying close with Herbology. Plants, they just did not interest her that much, magical or not.

She put the parchment down, and began pondering about Hogwarts. She wasn't sure if she would have to be sorted early, since she wasn't a 1st year. She'd never thought about how that worked. Surely she wasn't the first witch to move outside of the range of her school.

She was caught in this interesting thought when she was interrupted by a loud pop. A letter had appeared on her desk. It's wrappings were cream colored with a red seal on it. The address read:

_**Ms. Lixella Cruxshade**_

_**Last room on the hall**_

_**2**__**nd**__** floor, Cruxshade Manor **_

The red wax seal was from Hogwarts. She was about to open the letter when it flipped around and formed a face.

"Eh hem, Dear, Lixella Cruxshade. Congratulations on being accepted to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! We are pleased to inform you that a date has been set for your house sorting. Once you exit the Hogwarts express, a teacher named 'Professor Snape', will be there to escort you to your early sorting. We apologize for the inconvenience of sorting you so early. However, official sorting is an experience, as you may have done, for first years only. Thank you for your understanding, and your time. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."

The parchment then proceeded to spin around, shredding itself.

"Well, that explains that...gosh! They just read your mind don't they?" she exclaimed. A few moments later her door opened. She turned around to find Draco standing there, looking extremely unhappy.

"What?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Your uncle told me to give you this on my way out. Apparently my mom delivered it yesterday!" he handed her an unwrapped box. Inside was a vial, filled with shimmering liquid, and labeled with her name. It was a pensive vial, it contained one of her memories.

"But…why does _your_ mother, have a vial of _my_ memory?" she asked him almost breathlessly.

"Hell if I know. She said some friend gave it to her….told her it was extremely important that you got it!" he stated without a care.

"interesting…but I have no pensive, how can I look at it?" she asked

"God! You act like I would know this stuff. This is _your_ business, Cruxshade, not mine."

"Whatever, Malfoy…as if I was _actually_ asking_ you!_"

"Tch…talking to yourself is bad Cruxshade!"

She stared at him silently, as if waiting for him to talk again.

"I said you shouldn't talk to yourself…you listening?" he asked with a glare.

"Hrm….did you say something" she looked him square in the face, "you shouldn't talk to yourself, Draco…it's bad for you. Oh and, so is being a dumbass!"

"Ugh.." he rolled his eyes and stepped out of the room.

Lixella ran after him, "tootaloo, Drakie poo! Can't wait to see you in a few days at Hogwarts." she stated pleasantly. He just turned and flicked her off, as her aunt walked down the hall.

"Draco? What are you…?" aunt Iris said shocked.

"I was…just….I mean" he glared at Lixella, "Dammit all! I did not miss you, Cruxshade! I did _not _miss you one bit!" He then violently flung around, and stomped down the stairs.

"Well, what a terribly disturbed child." Lixella stated with a look of shock, "All I said was good bye, and he flicks me off. Can you believe that aunt Iris?" She then began almost skipping towards the staircase, and downstairs for dinner.

"Humph….glad to see they're getting along!" said aunt Iris as she rolled her eyes, "haven't changed since their childhood, still just as juvenille!"

She then, sighed, and headed down the stairs for dinner, as well.

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><p>Do you think they hate each other enough? I wanted to make Lixella just as snarky as Draco is with people.<p>

However, she's only really snarky around Draco, and he's snarky with everyone else.

Thanks for reading...Parchment 6 should be up soon! happy New Year ^_^ Hope to see you again, soon!


	6. Parchment 6: Sort me up, Mr hat!

Wow...so this is probably one of the best storied I've had in terms of feedback! what i'm trying to say is THANK YOU YOU GUYS ARE SO GREAT! I'm a bit obsessive with my stories, but i'm so glad to get so much reviewing. And thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx again, for reviewing on practically every chapter!you guys really do rock!

So here's chapter 6, i'm trying to keep this as by the book as possible, i like for my stuff to be able to exist within the actual original content!

Anywho, Read on...and enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 6: Sort me up, Mr. Hat!

A crescent moon glowed high in the sky. It's light emanated to every point of it's half of the globe. As it rose ever higher, it began shining down onto a small raccoon, who had nuzzled himself in a tree for the night. A bird landed on the branch across from him, and he began pawing at it. The two got into a terrible fight, making all kinds of annoying noises. Then, all of a sudden, an empty butter beer bottle went flying out of the window, smacking the raccoon square in the jaw. It stopped for a second, and flopped over, falling out of the tree.

"Great flying monkeys!" yelled Lixella, "I thought I told you annoying things to _not_ come back!" She pointed a long finger at the raven in the tree. His beady black eyes stared back at her, and out of sheer shock, he flew away. Lixella frowned, shutting her large window. That tree was starting to annoy her, she didn't even have this much noise in America. Wildlife seemed to be much more wild here. She then went back to her previous chore, packing for school.

Her trunk lay on the bed, opened, and almost full to the brim with items. She had almost her entire closet, her books, and her broomstick supplies. She wasn't sure if Hogwarts allowed leisurely broom flying, like Lunareth did. Her room, at this point, looked as if a hipogryph had just flown right through without a care. Everything was messed up, from her closet, to her desk. She was trying to find her wand. It usually sat on the bedside table, but obviously wasn't there given her hasty mood.

It was around 3 a.m. and she was supposed to be in bed. She was boarding the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. "Curse my procrastination" she said under her breath. Her owl, Illunia, watched her dart around the room, twisting her head back and forth, following Lixella. "Ah ha! There you are, you sneaky little devil!" she unearthed her wand from underneath a heap of parchment, by her bed. She took a second to admire it, and then quickly stowed it away in a belt case. She then walked over to the closet and tried on her new robes, one last time.

They fit her pretty well, though they weren't as decorative as the ones from Lunareth. She adored the pointed hood, any kind of witch hat reference made her smile. She wondered what house she would be placed into. The question had been popping up among her family members all summer. She tried to picture herself in each of them. First was Hufflepuff, she stood smiling politely, shaking hands with imaginary people. It didn't fit too well. Then, Gryffindor, she pushed her chest out, and put her hand on her hips. She attempted to look like superman, and failed. Obviously Gryffindor wasn't a good house for her. For Ravenclaw, she gestured with a big smile, and lots of talk about her intense interest in divination and defense against the dark arts. She liked it, it felt like Mothwing to her, like home.

But what of Slytherin? There was a chance. She thought for a second about living there. Her aunt made it seem like the greatest place on earth. She thought otherwise. However, upon imagining Slytherin, she imagined taunting Draco every single day. This caused a devilish smile to creep over her face. Some side of her kind of liked that idea.

She was snapped out of her day dreaming when Illunia began rattling her cage. Lixella went over and let her out, "you can sleep out here tonight girl…I'll leave the window cracked incase you need some air!" She opened the black iron cage door, and then headed off to bed.

The next morning brought nothing but rush. It seemed like no matter what she did, Lixella was always late to trains. Even at Lunareth, she was late getting to the skyrail. Her aunt hustled her through Kingscross station. Then, she ended up in front of platforms 9 and 10.

"Just run at the wall, that'll take you to it." her aunt said. The two of them headed at a run between platforms 9 and 10. Lixella opened her eyes and exhaled sharply once she found herself safely on the other side. Illunia had hidden her head beneath her wings, scared as well. Platform 9 ¾ was stunning. A crimson train sat in a single railway, smoke billowing like clouds across it's top. The platform was filled to the brim with parents and children, hugging and boarding. Her aunt moved forward, and trotted over to the luggage cart. Lixella handed the man her bags, all except for Illunia and her messenger bag that held her robes and money.

"Well, I suppose this is where I let you off" said her aunt, "I know you'll be fine Lixella. It is your 6th year after all. I can't wait for the news that you've been sorted into slytherin! Oh and dear, don't forget…"

"Iris?" sounded a voice from behind them. They turned to see Narcissa and Draco standing just outside of the train doorway.

"My word! Narcissa? Oh it has been so long!" aunt Iris stated, hugging the elegant woman. She turned back to Lixella, "now be careful…and good luck!" then she shoved Lixella towards the cart, and turned to talk to Narcissa some more. Narcissa began primping Draco's outfit, which Lixella giggled at. He was such a mama's boy. He noticed her laughing and shooed his mothers hand away, insisting he could dress himself. His mother's face became stern, and she said something that looked to utterly scare him.

"Now, why don't you show Lixella to your cart?" said Narcissa, almost demanding, "and be…careful!"

"Yes ma'am.." he then strode over to Lixella, preparing to push her out of the way. But just as he did, she moved, causing him to stumble and fall. He flipped over and glared at her.

Lixella just smiled, "Draco, the platform floor isn't a place for sleeping….you should probably get on the train" She grinned at him evilly.

"Hush up, Cruxshade! Don't think I'll be treating you any more pleasurably once my mom is out of earshot!" he stated rather sharply.

" Oh I'm sorry, were you supposed to be treating me pleasurably now?" she asked, staring him in the eyes, "because if so then….well, I must rate your performance as, much less than" she leaned close to his ear, "satisfactory."

Draco's face nearly turned red as he watched Lixella turn around and head up the cart stairs. Giving her hips a little extra curve as she walked away from him. He pushed past her and headed for the Slytherin 6th year cart. Lixella followed behind him, unhappily. They arrived at a car in the back, with two rows of seats, on either side. The seats were set into fours, and were centered around a square table. Draco turned and gave Lixella a smug look.

"Don't follow me, Cruxshade! I don't like stalkers!" he said, just at that moment a shrill voice from the back of the cart screeched to their ears.

"Oh…Drakie! Stop talking to that loosy twit…and come over here!" yelled pansy Parkinson in a desperate voice.

"Oh….no stalkers huh?" Lixella laughed, Draco sighed, "Who's that…

Drakie Poo? Your widdle biddy baby mama?" Lixella could have sworn that she saw Draco chuckle at that one. He quickly regained his composure, and stepped closer to her.

"don't' ruin this year for me…Cruxshade…or I'll ruin it for you as well" he said with threatening eyes.

"Oh….but Draco" she said with an almost sinister, sultry expression. She stepped forward, so close that their chests were touching, "I'm here to make sure _you_ don't get too…_Cocky!"_

Lixella glided around him, making sure she kept eye contact, and close range, the whole time. Draco stared at her, his lips pursed into a tight expression of repulsion. He locked eyes with her as she turned around, and took a seat at an empty table. He hated to admit it, but she was really good at getting the last word on him.

"_One of these days, Lixella" _he thought, "_One of these days I'll say something to make you speechless."_

"Dwakie!" yapped pansy. Draco rolled his eyes, and headed to the cart behind Lixella. He sat down next to pansy and she began lightly playing with his hair. The train ride went smoothly, everyone chatted about their summer. Around lunchtime Blaize left the table, to join someone named Slughorn. Once he left, Draco began going on and on about why he should've been invited. He felt a prick on his ankle, as if something was tossed at it. He jolted upright, and stared towards Lixella. Her long legs were sprawled up on the table, as she sat across the two chairs. She was consumed in a book that she was reading, about defensive spell casting without words. He kind of stared for a second at the way her hair was falling. She noticed him and flicked him off.

"Draco...lay back down!" pansy pleaded, and Draco laid his head back down in her lap. He swore he heard a chuckle from Lixella. Pansy's eyes narrowed as she stared at the mystery girl sitting at the table. "Who is that Draco?" she asked lightly running her fingers through his hair.

"Oh that thing…her name's Lixella Cruxshade. She's here from America, her parents died a few months ago, during the ministry battle." he stated with his eyes closed.

"American?" questioned Pansy with a sour face, "and a Cruxshade? Hardly a combination worth making!"

"yeah.." said Draco, ignoring Pansy's remarks of jealousy. Blaize suddenly re-entered the train car. However, as he did, that door to the car swung open, causing him to fall into Goyle. Then, a black mist popped up and filled the train. Draco shot up out of his seat. Lixella sat up abruptly. She could've sworn she had seen disembodied ankles scurry across the floor. She stared at the spot that she saw them, and then a movement caught her eyes. Something, or someone, had just plopped itself above Draco's sitting area.

Draco stood up in panic! He was going to keep this mission secret, and he was sure that this was a distraction so someone could get in. When the smoke cleared he sat back down, turning to Pansy. But, he noticed Lixella at the table in front of him, staring intently at the luggage rack above his head. Draco glanced to the rack, then back to her, her eyes met his and she looked puzzled. Draco was careful to choose his next few words. He made sure that, in case someone was listening, they wouldn't get much information to work with.

After the Slytherin cart's big smoke screen fiasco, Lixella got bored. She decided to take a look around the rest of the train. Besides, anything was better than listening to Draco talk about himself. She headed out of the cart, and down the hallway. She was staring out of one of the large windows when she smashed into someone. The two girls fell to the floor with a loud thud. Magazines went flying everywhere. Lixella managed to pull herself back up.

"Oh dear…I'm so sorry!" she said as she extended a hand to the other girl.

"It's quite alright." said the other girl, "I should watch where I'm going, need to stop getting distracted by interesting things. You should too…staring at landscapes is bad for your eyes!" The young girl was a tad shorter than Lixella. Her build was small, and she had pale skin, with long frizzy blonde hair. On her face she wore the biggest, most flamboyant, pair of glasses, Lixella had ever seen.

"Oh, wow…those glasses are great! Where'd you get them?" she asked, very interested.

"I got them from _the Quibbler_, they come free with this weeks issue. My father is the head editor of it. They allow you to see Wrackspurts…terrible little things."

"What's a Wrackspurt?" Lixella asked

"Oh! It's an invisible bug. They fly around inside of your ears and make your brain go all fuzzy." the girl spoke with a voice that sounded very distant from her thoughts.

"Oh gosh! So sorry, my name is Lixella Cruxshade, nice to meet you?"

"Luna…Luna Lovegood!" she said. She removed the glasses to reveal a pair of misty eyes.

"Well, again, sorry to bother! I'm new here and I was trying to…er...escape someone." she said, thinking of Draco.

"Oh it's fine….would you like to come sit with me?" she questioned, "My friends are in the compartment too…I'm sure they'd love to meet you!"

So Lixella followed Luna to her riding compartment. Inside sat three extra people.

"Hermione Granger" the other girl introduced herself. Her voice was soft but solid, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing.

"Ron Weasley" said the ginger haired boy, through mouthfuls of licorice sticks.

"Neville Longbottom, nice to meet you ma'am" said a very cleanly dressed boy, with short black hair, and rather large ears.

"Oh my…"Lixella said, as she realized who they were, "Are you guys the gang from the paper? Who fought at the ministry! I'm sorry, I don't want to sound fan girlish, but you guys are amazing! Really!"

"I like this girl!" stated Ron, beaming with pride, "she knows good people when she sees them...OUCH!" he stopped abruptly after Hermione elbowed him in the shoulder.

"Sit down, Lixella" she motioned to the seat across from her.

"So, where're you from? I haven't seen you before" asked Hermione.

"Sorry, I'm from America. That's where my…parents, lived" she stared at the floor

"Who are they?" asked Ron

"William and Altria Cruxshade, they were killed by death eaters this summer" she said, lying of course.

"Oh my I'm so sorry…wait!" Hermione looked taken back, "Cruxshade...as in _the_ Cruxshades? One of the oldest magical families in the world?"

"Yeah…that's me!" she said, slightly grinning, "but I lived in America, in my mother's house, the Duskwoods. I just started living at Cruxshade manor, with my aunt and uncle"

"Goodness!" gasped Hermione, "You're a Duskwood too? Gosh, so you're like one of the most ancient pureblood lines that exist in the world!" Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Oi!" chimed Ron, "You…a pureblood! Bloody hell! You may just be the nicest pureblood I've ever met."

"I hate the world pureblood" said Lixella, "it has such a terrible reputation to it, ya know? Like I'm supposed to be this evil, vial person. Like that Draco Malfoy, it's people like him that give people like me a bad name."

"Oh! I really like this girl" said Ron, "Pureblood, American, and she hates Malfoy!"

Everyone in the cart laughed a bit. The street lamps outside became darker. They all scurried in a frenzy to put on their uniforms.

"Have you been sorted yet?" Luna said distantly, "your school robes don't have any symbols"

"No…" said Lixella, "I get sorted tonight, I'm supposed to before the feast. A professor is meeting me outside of the train. Someone named Snape?"

The whole car went silent. Neville managed to catch the bag he almost dropped.

"God! I'm so sorry…"said Ron, "He's a right fowl git!"

"Ronald!" Hermione shunned him, "that's a teacher you're talking about."

"So" he said, "It's not like there's anything nice to say about the man!"

"Oh joy…I would get the unpleasant one." stated Lixella. She really enjoyed these people, they were wonderful to be around. Much better than spouting insults at Draco.

"Hopefully you'll be sorted into Gryffindor" said Ron.

"or perhaps even Ravenclaw…I'd like a friend in there" said Luna.

"Oh I'd love either, I'm sure" Lixella stated. She did really hope she was in either house. The train came to a halting stop at Hogsmeade station. They all made their way off. Each of them said good-bye, in hopes that they would see Lixella at their table soon enough. Lixella tried to push her way through the massive amounts of people. She darted around to the back of the train, as she did she spotted Draco. He was exiting the empty Slytherin cart, looking pleased. The blinds were down in the cart, and the door window was closed. Draco noticed her staring at him, and smirked. He was in far too good of a mood. Lixella wanted to know why. But, before she could make her way over to him, a cold hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Lixella Cruxshade…I presume" said a voice from behind her. She turned around to face a man wearing a long black cloak. His face was curtained by black hair, and his nose was rather large. He held a smug expression on his features. He peered down at Lixella with dark eyes.

"Yes. Are you professor Snape?" she asked

"Yes…I'll be sorting you into your house before the first years. Grab my cloak." Lixella did, and Snape apparated into Dumbledore's office. "You're lucky, usually that isn't allowed at Hogwarts….for your information. Dumbledore made an exception…for you"

Lixella stood, feeling rather sick. She had never apparated before, it was unpleasant. Snape swept around the office. He took a large dusty old hat from the shelf. "Sit" he commanded, Lixella sat in the chair. He really was rather unpleasant.

"oh my…." exclaimed the hat, as it was placed on her head, "curious, very curious. You could do great anywhere my girl. Honestly I would love to put you in Slytherin, but you seem so opposed. Maybe Ravenclaw then? No, no…you have far too much ambition in you. Goodness! Maybe Gryffindor, you'd do great there….but what is this? Oh, and interesting turn of events." the hat spoke to itself. Lixella didn't know where she really wanted to be, she was fine with mostly any of them. But Slytherin was her least favorite. "Why make it the least favorite child? You have such potential….Ah! So there is a reason for Slytherin." The hat talked as if he could see the future, "yes, yes, I see you now…..you're whole destiny awaits you….better be SLYTHERIN!" Her robed instantly popped into shades of green and silver, with the Slytherin emblem on her chest.

Lixella frowned a bit on the inside, she would have preferred one of the houses with the nice people she met on the train. But, it seemed that the hat really wanted her to be in Slytherin for some reason. Professor Snape placed the hat back on the shelf.

"Welcome to Slytherin house…miss, Cruxshade!" he said, peering down at her, again, "be warned…the name Slytherin bears many challenges in your upcoming lifetime. As a Slytherin I expect you to be able to tackle them head on, and without whining. Slytherins can be far stronger than they seem Ms. Cruxshade." he stared her straight in the eyes. What he said, he was obviously very serious about. It was as if he was trying to force some deeper meaning, or double standard on her. Once he was done with his monologue, he lead her down to the great hall. Just as they reached the outside, A large patronus appeared in front of Snape. It was shaped like a four legged creature, and beckoned him to follow it.

"You should be able to guide yourself from here, Lixella" he said, and headed off.

She took a deep breath, and pushed open the doors. Everyone had just sat down, from the looks of it. Across the room, an old man with half-moon spectacles nodded at her. She nodded back to Albus Dumbledore, with great pride. She paused, trying to figure out where to sit. Some of the kids had noticed her entrance. Particularly, Ron and Hermione, who looked at her in disbelief. She noticed their glances, and dropped her shoulders, giving them a longing expression. Ron simply shook his head, Hermione and Neville nodded in understanding. Luna saw her from across the room, and waved to her with a soft smile. She waved back. Finally, she located the Slytherin table. It was full of people she had met, and could not stand. Draco Malfoy eyed her robes in disbelief. He was in shock that she was in his house. His eyes just stayed on the Slytherin emblem on her chest, unable to accept that she was wearing it.

"ya know Draco" she said, moving closer and bending down, "one shouldn't stare at what they can't have! It only makes it more painful for you."

"Psh…I wasn't staring at you…Cruxshade!" he said, jerking his head away from her now obvious cleavage.

" Oh really?" she stated, her eyes narrowing, "cuz for a second I could've sworn you were oggling my boobs!"

"Well, it's hard to not oggle when they are right in my face" he spat

"It's hard to push past just how hideous that face of yours _is_…but I'm not blaming you for that, am I? Dwakie?" she stated in a venomous tone. "Welcome to your year, Draco…I'm here now, better get used to it!"

She thought she heard some clapping from the table next to them. Ron had overheard their conversation, from down the Gryffindor table, and was quite impressed by it. She bowed to him, then sat down at the end of the table, and got ready to watch the first years be sorted. She couldn't complain about her new house, it certainly came with perks.

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><p>These chapters keep getting longer!I need to know if y'all want them longer or shortened...I'm trying to not go too overboard with size!<p>

So are you liking the bickering between these two...I can't wait, now i can start on the school year! oh it just gets better and better!

I would really love if you could review my story, and thanks so much for reading ^_^ come back again!


	7. Parchment 7: Snakes and Spit

Wow...chapter 7? I'll be honest you guys...I've never written anything up to chapter 7!

Oh and thank you to the last story watcher to sign up: Silent Guardian

and to my last few reviews: xXMizz Alec VolturiXx and naynay87...I'll respond to them at the end of this chapter ^_^

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 7:Snakes and Spit

After the feast, Lixella headed down to the Slytherin dorm. The only thing she wanted was to go to sleep, but she was being bombarded by tiny first years. They were everywhere, and so small. Lixella was scared she would step on one of them. She pushed past several, almost threatening them along the way. Finally she found, what she guessed to be, the dungeon entrance. She was so lost, Hogwarts was so much bigger than Lunareth, or maybe it was just that she knew her way around Lunareth better.

Nonetheless, the dungeons were bigger than she thought they would be. The walls were large and arched at the top. They were all carved out of stone and black brick. The whole place had a strange watery lighting to it, that made it seem eerie. She spun around corner after corner, attempting to find the entrance. It seemed like there would be more of a crowd where the dorm was located, but she found no one.

She leaned against a wall, hopeless and defeated, and began to slump downward. She supposed that this was how she died. She would starve to death in a dungeon, with no one to save her. She promised to never go wandering around after this, if she got out alive.

Just then, she heard the rattling of small chains. She was sure that the grimm reaper had come to find her. Then, a girl appeared down the hallway. Her skin was nearly as pale as Lixella's. Her face was cut into sharpened angles. She had very long, straight, black hair, that had been volumized and styled. It was a masterpiece of hair. It came down and swooped over her right eye, and proceeded downward, all the way to her waist. It was messy and straight. She resembled a punk kid with scene hair. In her mane, sat a big green bow. Her uniform was normal, but with converse boots on her legs, adorning small chains. Various pins and buttons adorned her school vest, and a green and black tie was tied loosely around her collar. She looked like she could probably kick someone's ass. She was definitely in Slytherin house.

She stopped and stared at Lixella, "Oi! You there…girl! Whas your name?" she yelled.

"Lixella Cruxshade…your's?"

"Jynx…Jynx Spakerton!" she yelled in a twisted brittish accent, "why ah' you down 'ere?"

"I'm new this year, and for the life of me I can't get to the damn entrance!"

"Ha! You're fonny!" she laughed, "'ere, I can 'elp ya get there!"

The two started walking and talking, winding around the many corners and halls of the dungeon. They discussed everything. Lixella explained about her memory, her dead parents, and her strange family history. Jynx told her about her childhood, and how her family became wealthy, and everyone changed, for the worst.

"Mi mother is a model….mi da' is a big business man!" she said, "we're pretty well off! Don't mean we should flaunt it around'!"

"Thank you…I totally agree with you there! I mean money is great, but come on…it doesn't mean you have to be a jackass to everyone else!" said Lixella.

"Yeah…an' all the blokes in 'ere like ta think they're bettah cuz of their 'social status'. Pisses me off!" spat Jynx. Lixella was beginning to like this girl, they agreed on nearly everything. She even loved her terribly improper British accent. It seemed like, If she needed someone beat up, she was sure Jynx could do it. Just her name alone, Jynx, was bad ass enough.

"ah!" she said as they turned a corner, "'ere's the ruddy portrait hole!"

"Portrait hole?…but that's just a picture" Lixella said confused.

"yeah…tha's the entrance"

"Oh! In Lunareth we have normal entrances…depending on the house!"

"yeah? Interestin'…they like ter hide everythin' 'ere for some reason!" Jynx stared at the portrait on the wall, "Damn, I wasn't 'ere for the passsword reading'."

"darn I heard it in the hallway…hang on" said Lixella as she tried to remember.

"Oi! You! Door…open!" shouted Jynx.

"I need the password, young lady" said the man in the portrait

"Oh I'll give ye a password!" she said, pulling her sleeves up. Lixella pulled her away from the door, just in time.

"sniveling slugs" she said, and the door swung open. She let go of Jynx and the two of them walked into the common room. It was lovely, really, it had high ceilings made of black marble, and green lanterns. The room had a strange green tint to it, that seemed to glisten all over the room. Lixella kind of liked it. There were even thick windows, where you could see out into the black lake. Around the common area were green and black upholstered couches. On those couches, sat a bunch of 6th year Slytherins.

"Oh god!" spat Draco, sitting on a couch by the wall, "of course you two found each other! Two of the worst additions to Slytherin, standing right there."

His posse chuckled behind him. Lixella despised only a few things in the world. These were: Clowns, dark wizards, cry babies, dramatic people, smugness, and cockiness. Draco Malfoy exhibited 5 of the 6, because he would make a terrible dark wizard.

"Shut your face Malfoy" Lixella said repulsively. His whole gang of minions chimed into a chorus of snarky laugher.

"Why should I Lixella…gonna set daddy on me? Where is he, Lixella? With your mum?" he asked with a sneer on his face. His minions were now silent, waiting for a response.

"you want me to take 'im on?" asked Jynx. Lixella shook her head, she figured she could pull out all the low blows she wanted to, since he wasn't holding back. She stepped closer to him.

"At least my father had the decency to die for his cause, Draco…instead of rolling over like a little bitch and going to prison." She said as venom dripped from her lips. Draco looked at her coldly, he had nothing else to say to her. The whole room went deathly silent, and Lixella just stared at him. "the next time you want to bring up my parents death, think about the fact that they died for something at all. Coward!" she said through gritted teeth. Draco stood up, still staring holes into her skull. He towered over her, and they just glared at each other, barely an inch from one another's faces.

"That's a low blow, Cruxshade!" Draco said, "you'll regret it!"

"stick to the taunting, Draco" she said, "parents don't need to be brought into the bickering of their children."

Lixella stared him down. He smirked, "one day, Cruxshade….one day". Lixella backed up, and followed Jynx into the girls dorm room.

The dorm room mimicked the common room. The bed were painted black and circled around space heaters. Each group had 5 beds to one space heater Lixella belongings sat next to a bed that was farthest towards the back wall, where the water fell over the sides of the room. She laid down and stared up at the amazing ceiling above her. The ceiling was enchanted so that you could see through the thick stone, it looked as if you were sleeping beneath a waterfall. What was even more enchanting was the way you could see the nighttime stars shimmering above the water. It was like floating under the water on a clear night, but without holding your breath. Lixella stared at it breathlessly, she'd never seen anything so peaceful. Jynx entered the room after her, she found that her luggage was place on the bed next to Lixella.

"you, woman!" she started, "are so bad arse! I've never seen anyone take on that bloke before, an' win!" She flopped down on the bed, and began admiring the ceiling as well.

Lixella just chuckled.

"We've always done that….just bickered and fought with each other. We've done it our whole lives. For some reason, we like it!"

"We'll you've got serious courage…I'm glad someone like you is 'ere, finally!" Jynx stated with a grin. She was one of the few students in Slytherin house who had a non-magical parent. No one messed with her about it though, for fear of her pummeling their faces in. in the end, that's what the house was about, surviving the worst in people, and being able to overcome the stupidity of others.

The door opened and several girls walked in. One of them was Pansy Parkinson. Lixella stared at her with slited eyes. That girl was the most annoying female she had ever met. That was saying a lot considering she lived with her aunt Iris, now. Pansy just gave off this energy that made you want to smack her.

She found her trunk located in the circle of beds, next to Lixella's. Upon noticing that Lixella was in the room, she walked over and spat on her.

"the hell?" she yelled, wiping spit from her face.

"why you ruddy little.." Jynx stood up with her fists clenched. Lixella was still in shock that she'd gotten spat on.

"stay away from _my_ Drakie! You filthy little street rat!" pansy sneered.

Lixella began laughing. She couldn't believe that she just got spat on. People on reality television spit on each other. People stuck on desert islands spit on each other. People in wizarding school _do not_ spit on each other. This girl had to be the most incompetent and stupid person that Lixella had ever dealt with!

"What's so funny?" yelled pansy.

"Ha ha, You actually just _spat_ on me…you twat!" she kept laughing, "like, haha, I actually just got _spat _on!"

"I don' get it…wha's so funny?" asked Jynx, holding pansy by her shirt collar..

"Jesus! Do you think this is 2nd year?" she asked to Pansy, who pouted, "God! Grow up, Pansy….try to develop some type of a brain! Jesus, what are you a monkey? If I tick you off more, do you throw your own poop?" Suddenly, Jynx got the joke, and started bawling.

She and Jynx just sat there laughing together, almost to tears. Pansy pouted and let out an annoyed scream. She then proceeded to storm away towards her bed. The two girls spent the rest of their evening laughing at each other, and everyone else. Lixella finally felt like she might enjoy it here.

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><p>You guys finally met Jynx Spakerton! She is one of my favorite characters! I hope you guys like her!<p>

anyways to respond to the reviews I got...

naynay87: thank you...I disliked in the books when not a lot of people would be snarky back to him...so i decided to have one person that would! and thank you so much!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: You have been one of my biggest supporters and I really want to say thank you!

Well I hope to hear more from you guys ^_^

Talk to you again soon!


	8. Parchment 8: Predictions

I dunno what time it is wherever you guys are, but here it is 8: 05 a.m.! I need to stop having insomnia!

Anyways, welcom to chapter 8. We have made it to the first day of school!

Enjoy and thanks for reviewing! I hope to see more ^_^

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Chapter 8: Predictions

The next morning, Lixella woke up to a loud thud. Jynx had fallen out of her bed, and flat onto the floor. The interesting part was, she was still sound asleep. Lixella wasn't sure if she should wake her. She decided that it was a good idea. So, she grabbed her pillow and smacked her with it. Jynx shot up onto her feet, completely awake.

"Oi!" Jynx yawned, "watch where you're throwin' that thing"

"our schedules are here….look!" Lixella pointed to a nicely wrapped piece of parchment on the bedside table. A look of surprise crossed over Lixella's face, she had more free periods then at Lunareth. The N.E.W.T. teachers there were brutal, they believed that you had to work around the clock to be worthy of their level of knowledge.

Her first period was Ancient runes, she rather loved that class. Then was a short break followed by defense against the Dark arts, and Potions. She ended the day off with two more free periods between, Divination and charms. "switch?" she asked to Jynx who showed her, her own schedule.

"well, it appears we've got divination together. You'll have to go potions alone, I hate tha' class! But I'll be in charms with you too! An' defense against the dark arts as well."

After eating the biggest breakfast Lixella had ever fit in her stomach, she headed off to Ancient Runes. The class she took at Lunareth always interested her, something about small symbols having great powers, made her smile. She got a bit lost on the way, but ended up on time. She was trying to figure out where to sit, it seemed everyone knew everyone else. Lixella hated being the new kid in the midst of the first school day.

"Lixella?" called a voice from behind her. She turned around to see Hermione Granger, sitting at a desk very close to the front. Lixella gave her a big smile.

"Oh…thank goodness you are in this class! I don't know anyone, and I am awful at meeting people!"

"well, good thing I'm here then! By the way…..Slytherin?" she said with a questioning smile.

"oh…please don't get me started. The hat said something about '_ah! I see it now…yes…well, that changes everything, better be…slytherin!_ I was so confused!" said Lixella, overly exaggerating everything.

"I wished he had put you in Gryffindor, you would have been wonderful there" she stated, "or Ravenclaw at least…but, oh well, I guess the world needs some Slytherins that are actually good people. I'm just sorry you have to live with Malfoy."

"Ugh!" Lixella dropped her head into her crossed arms, "I know, he's just always there! Like a little puppy that needs constant attention. But then I try to kick him away and he just comes right back for more kicks!" Hermione chuckled at the idea of Malfoy being a puppy, getting punted across the room. Lixella laughed too. The class went by pretty well, they had a lot of homework to do, but Hermione really seemed to know what she was doing. Lixella was very glad she'd met her.

In Defense against the Dark Arts Professor Snape had attempted to take a jab at her nationality. She was one of the few people in the class who was able to cast a spell inaudibly.

"Well, Ms. Cruxshade….you seem to have quite a knack for beating people up without telling them first! Might it be your… American…spirit" She wanted to set him on fire, so badly, but kept it to herself. Jynx offered, three times, to punch him for her. She declined every time, but wished that it wouldn't be consequential.

Potions was the second most interesting of the day, the first being divination, but that story comes in a bit. She entered the dungeon room to find a rather small group of kids. Ron and Hermione waved to her, but their table was already full. To her disliking, Jynx was not there, so she had to share a table with Draco, Blaise, and Theodore Nott. The whole table became extremely uncomfortable, as she sat down. She and Draco glared at each other for the first few seconds of class. Then, Professor Slughorn went around describing all of the potions. Lixella wasn't really paying attention because she was staring at a pot near Hermione and Ron's table, with the nicely bubbling golden brew of something.

That's when it happened, she smelled something amazing. It was only for a quick second, but in that second, she must have sniffed the air at least 10 times. It was amazing, it smelled of laundry soap, burning firewood, and…the last one was strange because it changed with every sniff. At first it smelled of rain, then it smelled like something light and musky. She tried to remember it, but for the life of her she couldn't.

"Yes…Amortencia, very good Ms. Granger…20 points to Gryffindor." yelled Slughorn. Draco was muttering something to Nott, then he suddenly stopped and perked his head up as well, and sniffed the air at least 10 times. A strange look of confusion crossed his face too, and his eyes darted towards Lixella. She was staring at him with a confused expression. He stared back at her, wide-eyed at first, then quickly went to his default smugness.

Slughorn's test for draught of death went pretty well for Lixella, until she got to the stirring. Draco was going mad though, he was cutting everything twice as fast, and stirring three times as quickly.

"Try to not break your cauldron, Draco" she said to him.

"Shut up, Cruxshade! You have no idea how badly I want that vial!" he yelped. He didn't win it in the end, Harry, somehow, managed to brew a perfect potion. Draco ended up storming out of the classroom after that, muttering something about Potter.

The last interesting part of the day was Divination. She had it with Jynx and Luna. They were doing exercises using sand and pendulums. The seer holds the hand of the person who is holding the pendulum. They then ask a series of questions to the person, and make predictions. After all is done, the pendulum should have drawn a specific symbol that only the person needing the prediction will recognize.

Lixella agreed to do a demonstration with Professor Trelawny, who was becoming her favorite teacher. She took out her special pendulum, given to her by her grandmother, and Professor Trelawny held onto her hands. She asked her some basic questions, her age, birthdate and direction of birth if she knew it. Then a strange sensation came over the Professor. Her voice became a bit more raspy.

"I see something very interesting in your future" she began, "though you cannot remember your past now, it will all return to you, by the hand of one certain man. Beware of him, for his intentions are only evil. All answers have lied with you since your birthday of 6 years. The path you shall embrace will be wrought with dangers. But you will maneuver it not for the sake of yourself alone, but for another. Someone, very special, is about to enter your life. Without them you have no hope of survival after this winter. Be warned! Be warned!" and with a hack her voice changed back to normal. Strangely, Professor Trelawny acted as if nothing had happened. She let go of Lixella's hands. Then peered inside of the silver bowl, that was filled with sand. A willow tree was etched into the sand with elegance.

"Does this mean anything to you?" asked Professor Trelawny.

"It's the crest of my mother's family ma'am. I was, the only child her side was able to produce. After I am married, that crest will technically no longer exist." she stared at the willow tree , and a tear trickled down her cheek, "you are very good at this, Professor, thank you!"

In fact, the entire class stood up and applauded Professor Trelawny on her work. The good thing about he N.E.W.T. level divination class, was that the people in there appreciated the subject, instead of labeling it as a hoax. Lixella wanted to learn to predict the future quite badly. Sometimes she wondered if it was because she had no past to linger on, so she just wanted the future to happen. Or maybe it was even that, by creating more of a future, it would create more of a past for her.

"Wow…it sounds like you're about 'ta go on an adventure, Lixella" said Jynx as they walked out of class.

"I agree, the predictions were rather dazzling and story-like." said Luna, misty-eyed, "perhaps this year will be interesting again, like the last ones"

"yeah….but she said that someone would be coming in'ta your life…so you can survive winter?" said Jynx in a confused voice.

"Sounds to me like bears" stated Luna

"yeah…I guess I'll have to wait until winter to see what happens." she stated plainly. The fortune was extremely interesting, but Lixella just couldn't think about it at that moment. She was far too hungry. The three of them headed down to the great hall for dinner, after charms, with Neville. They all filled Neville in with the details from Divination.

"Gosh!" he exclaimed, "that sounds positively….terrifying. You sure you can handle that, Lixella?"

She looked up at him with almost an entire steak in her mouth. Which she quickly chewed, and harshly swallowed.

"I dunno, Neville. It is a bit scary isn't it. I mean she said my path was wrought with danger, and someone was going to be evil with my memories. But, she also said that someone very special was coming soon, and my memories would return too. I don't know what to be more scared of, the dark stuff, or the fact that I may meet someone with all of my memories at the end of the semester." She pondered aloud

"It's all quite a tale" said Luna, "that's why I enjoy the class. Every prediction comes to you in cryptic form. Your part is sorting it out, and watching it happen."

After dinner, the four of them separated to their respective houses. Jynx and Lixella were on their way down to the dungeons when Jynx paused and mentally slapped herself.

"I left my 'erbology book in tha great 'all, I'm sorry." she said

"it's okay, just go get it, I'll be in the dorm when you get back. Then we can start on our super fun homework!" Lixella said sarcastically. Jynx then sped off, rushing towards the great hall. Leaving Lixella alone to maneuver through the dungeons. She was a tad scared of her surroundings, they were dungeons, after all. She was almost down the flight of stairs, and staring at a picture on the ceiling, when she smashed into something, and fell forward. She landed right on top of Draco Malfoy. She glared at him, but then, a smell crossed her nose. It was light, and musky, and coming from Draco.

"got a problem, Lixella?" he asked in a shrewd voice, "forgotten how to…" but then he stopped talking too. He started sniffing the air. He picked up a scent of morning dew and clean sheets, just like in the potions room. They both had their eyes closed, and inched ever so closer to each other with every sniff. Then they realized who they were with, and opened their eyes. Their faces were barely an inch apart. They both stared at each other for a second, not wanting to admit that they knew why the other was sniffing everything.

"well…" said Lixella

"well…I…erm…you…" said Draco

"well, is there a reason you wouldn't stop sniffing me Draco? Or do you just need to be reminded that there are actual good smelling people in this world." she spat after regaining her composure.

"good smelling people? As opposed to what?" he asked confused, he was still dazed by her scent.

"the ones you hang out with. Oh! And tell your girlfriend to keep her spit in her mouth, and her tongue too if she would like to keep it!"

"why? Do you think it's going into places that you don't want it to?"

"you mean like pointing at me? During defense against the dark arts class?" she stated inquiringly.

"No, I mean like…down _my_ throat, Lixella. Or is that strictly your property?"

"I think that property has been on the market for a while Draco, don't you?"

"whatever, Cruxshade, I have more important business to attend to! Better than talking to an uninteresting prick like you…"and with that he strode off. He seemed to be in quite a rush to get wherever he was going. Such a rush that he didn't notice her flick him off on his way out.

Lixella entered through the portrait hole, and headed upstairs. She reached the girls dorm and threw a shoe at Pansy, before she could add a snarky remark to last night's events. She went over the events of her day in her head. It all was truly an interesting start to the semester. Finally, she began on her homework, and waited for Jynx to return to the dorm. It seemed that Hogwarts held many secrets for her. It gave her many interesting people, and many terrible people. But, for some reason, she felt happy being here.

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><p>I'm convinced that amortencia was partially made for fanfiction use...because it is in nearly EVERY fanfiction of Harry Potter!so...I couldn't turn it down ^_^<p>

Anyways thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much I as I did!

See you soon!


	9. Parchment 9: Cooties from Monkeys!

I am having some kind of chapter 10 celebration! this will be my first chapter 10...so I have to make it special!

If you have any ideas for this...please send me a review message ^_^

Anywho...thanks to my reviwers: lenie954

also to the people who have added my story to their watchboard: lenie954, and Words-and-Bullets

I hope you enjoy this...I'll update soon!

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><p><span>Our time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 9: Cooties from Monkies!

As Lixella walked through the halls of Hogwarts for the millionth time, she found herself surprisingly happy. Somehow, despite everything that had happened in the past few months, she'd found some kind of happiness in it all. The school had this strange feel to her, like it wanted her there. Not to mention, she had made friends more quickly than she had anticipated.

Jynx Spackerton was quickly becoming one of her best friends. She wished that she could introduce Jynx to Nym Muse, back in America. The two of them would adore each other. Luna Lovegood, also, had become a close friend to her. They did not see each other often, because they did not live in the same dorm. However, Lixella enjoyed divinations with Luna, and their conversations about magical "made-up" creatures.

Even Ron and Hermione had been talking to her. However, something strange must've happened. Around the middle of term, the two of them began hating each other. She saw Hermione everyday in Ancient Runes class. And, every day, Hermione seemed to have something awful to say about Ron. It got to the point where Ron became almost taboo. It was sad, Lixella was new, and she could even see that the two of them wanted each other. Ron wasn't much to talk to anymore. It seemed anytime Lixella saw him he was wrapped up with a girl whose name she couldn't recall. It was something very colorful from what she could remember of Hermione's rants.

Neville, on the other hand, was quite a wonderful friend. Lixella hated that she only got to see him during charms, and dinner. He always went on about herbology, and for a while, got Lixella to study it. He was extremely helpful when it came to charms class. The only problem she had with him was, his grandmother. Lixella was always a very obedient child, so she understood what it was like to have a guardian that insisted you be one way. It was awful because Neville was a wonderful student, but he was so scared to show it to people. He shined in mostly all of his classes, and was entertaining to talk to. The problem was that, he was trying to find his courage as a Gryffindor. At least, that was what Lixella thought.

She disliked when people couldn't act like themselves, or genuine. It was one thing she despised about Slytherin. It was full of people who acted a certain way, to get the attention of certain people. Most specifically, or from what she could think of, were Draco's minions. She and Jynx had made it their duty to completely bash Pansy into the ground. Pansy, had made it her duty to ruin their lives, as well. It became this war of Jynx and Lixella versus Pansy and her posers. The two sides were equally matched. Pansy was vicious, but Lixella was clever, and Jynx was just a bad ass.

It was getting colder, and Lixella didn't like the cold. It reminded her of the rain, which strangely reminded her of her dead parents. It seemed as if the entire world was getting colder. Even the fireplace in the common room, where she spent most evenings, didn't warm her completely. Perhaps it was the stress from her schoolwork. Or, maybe it was wondering about all of those predictions everyone seemed to be making about her. It came up in conversation often.

"so, you met tha' guy yet?" Jynx would ask while doing homework.

"What guy?"

"Tha' one guy….that's supposed to change your life!"

"Okay, for the umpteenth time, Professor never said it was a boy. In all honesty I think I've had all the boy interaction I can handle" she was thinking of the terrible behavior of Ron, and the smugness of Draco.

"Well, it makes the story bettah if it's a boy"

"I'd prefer a woman. Perhaps one that could help me decipher all of these strange cryptic messages." It was true, she hoped it was a woman. The first person she'd pictured when the prediction was made, was her aunt Marceline. Lixella had written to her aunt a month ago, at the beginning of October, and had heard nothing from her. She was beginning to worry that the family room would remain locked forever.

"Well, I got a bet wit' Luna that it's a guy!" she exclaimed, peering over her transfigurations book, "if I lose, it's 6 sickels out o' my pocket! So try an' meet more boys this wintah, Okay?"

"I'll try to survive this semester. This homework is making me go mad!"

"I know, I can't believe they expect us to do all o' this in a day! And wit' our other classes?"

"Have they all gone mad?" Lixella asked while throwing her arms in the air. She honestly was about to go insane from her amount of work. It was taking up every free period, and extra time during lunch, to complete. The worst part was that she had no one to let her anger out on. She hadn't seen Draco in a month, aside from their classes. He had begun talking less, and looked more sickly with each time she saw him. In fact, it was making her worried for him, which was rare.

"Well, at least when we go to Hogsmeade tomorrah…I'll be a right spiffy loon!" exclaimed Jynx.

"a spiffy loon? Ya know, if you said that in America, people would just stare at you."

"Well, this isn't America…and I'm obviously still a spiffy loon, so whatever!"

Lixella chuckled, it was such an odd word, but it was the way Jynx talked. She said strange word combinations, even for a British person. To name Lixella's favorites: spiffy loon, blubbering troglodyte, narcoleptic hag, and something called a Spartrificlator. She had asked several others what these words meant. However no other person in Hogwarts, or outside of it, knew either.

The next day, Saturday, had finally come. The weeks had been long and terribly stressful. She was happy that for today, at least, there was nothing to do but go to Hogsmeade and buy a butter-beer. Lixella thoroughly enjoyed days where she had no responsibilities. Lately, it seemed as if a lot was being asked of her. Getting used to a new school, moving from home at 16, no parents, living with her judgmental relatives, the slew of predictions she's heard, and being placed into her aunts favorite place in the world; Every detail made her annoyed. However, she couldn't do much about it. As a 16 year old, pure-blood witch, from an upstanding family, her word didn't have much power in anything.

It was bitterly cold outside. The kind of cold that pricked it's way into your bones. She and Jynx were wrapped in at least three layers of clothing, as they headed to Hogsmeade. They stopped for a second, as Filtch proceeded to search them for objects. The protection here was ridiculous. Lixella was convinced it was mostly because of Harry Potter.

They made their way down to the three broomsticks, and sat down with Luna and Neville. The four of them didn't feel like trying to head anywhere else in town. It was far too cold to do much of anything. Jynx volunteered to get drinks, and returned a few minutes later, with four warm butter-beer mugs. Everyone reached hastily for their cup, practically inhaling the warm liquid.

"Madame Rosmerta has gian' knockers…'ave you noticed?" she stated, sitting down. This cause Lixella to exhale her first sip of butter-beer, out of her nose, and onto the table. Part of it shot across the table, and nearly hit Neville. Everyone paused a moment, staring at Lixella, and then busted into laughter.

"Oh my gawd! Tha' was one of the greates' things to 'appen this week! Just sploosh…righ' out of your nostrils!" said Jynx as she nearly fell to the floor.

"Well, maybe if you didn't mention a certain old ladies boobs!" she proclaimed, wiping the drink off of her shirt with a napkin. Several minutes, of useless napkin wiping, passed by. Lixella gave in, and realized she would have to go to the bathroom and get some water.

She stepped carefully out of the booth, trying to not spill anything else, and made her way to the bathroom. As she did, she found a young girl with long brown hair, and a heavy coat, leaving the restroom with a large package. She looked pretty determined to get where she was going, so Lixella did not bother her. She entered the restroom, and pulled a few napkins off of the counter, running them under water. As she did she heard a noise in the corner. Her ears perked up, and she looked over to the corner. Standing in the corner of the bathroom was, a very confused looking, Madame Rosmerta.

"You alright, Miss Rosmerta?" she asked, a bit scared. Madame Rosmerta did not respond, but merely looked to Lixella with a confused stare. She seemed to not understand why she was in the bathroom, and slowly made her way out the door. Lixella finished wiping the butter-beer off of her shirt, and headed back outside. She explained the scenario to the group.

"Sounds like Nargles!" exclaimed Luna. She seemed to have accepted this answer as completely true, and looked back out the window.

"I dunno" said Neville, "that seems strange, Lixella. You might want to be a bit careful around Madame Rosmerta, after that."

"yep….she saw you laughin' at her boobs!" Jynx almost snorted, "so now she wants revenge" Jynx had gone completely mad. She was banging on the table as she laughed, at her own jokes. The rest of the table chuckled as well.

The four of them left the Three Broomsticks, and headed back to Hogwarts for some warmth. Lixella wasn't paying much attention to the conversation, she was admiring the lovely little town of Hogsmeade. That was, until, she peered down an alleyway. She could've sworn she saw Draco darting behind the buildings. This made no sense because she knew, for a fact, that he was in detention. She shrugged it off as her eyes playing tricks on her. When they returned to Hogwarts, word had spread about Katie Bell and the cursed necklace. Lixella didn't want to say anything, so she tried to keep a low profile.

The rest of the day was filled with hushed whispers of Katie Bell and the Necklace. She did not want any trouble. Lixella tried to not get into it. It went by, and she had managed to not tell anyone of her encounter with Madame Rosmerta in the bathroom. She spent the rest of the day in Slytherin hall, doing homework, and avoiding the subject.

"I'm goin' to bed….I cannot be lookin' at another piece of parchment or I'll become a nocturnal git!" Jynx threw her quill down, as she said this, with such force that it blotched her tights. She stared at the stain for a second, attempted to clean it off with her spit, and then gave up. "I'm goin' to use the loo…comin'?" she asked. It wasn't an option to say no to traveling to the bathroom with Jynx, she hated dark hallways. She would use the bathroom in the dorm, but Pansy was in there constantly.

"Yeah…I'll go" said Lixella, "but I'm not waiting for you like last time!" Last time, Jynx had nearly flooded the bathroom, and tried to stop it with more toilet paper. Lixella was left standing outside, oblivious to what was happening, until water started pouring out of the door.

Jynx merely rolled her eyes and headed off. The nearest bathroom was by the dungeon entrance, just before the potions classroom. They walked in, chatting about Hogsmeade and the cold. After she had finished, Lixella went to wait outside for her friend. It was bitterly cold in the hallway, and eerily quiet. Lixella was deathly afraid of silence. It was to due with her memory loss. Somewhere in that time, she became afraid of very quiet places.

She stood, eyes closed, humming a tune to keep herself brave. Then, a noise traveled to her ears, faintly. It sounded like someone sobbing, or panicking over something. She

stopped humming, and froze. The sound was so faint, almost like a whisper. She could barely tell the direction it was coming from. It was far, but seemed to be coming from up the stairs. Lixella decided to go see what it was. She knew it was stupid, all that ran through her head were horror movies. However, the panicking wasn't ghostly, it was just faint.

The large round staircase wrapped, elegantly, ascending into the moonlit path above. The dungeons were below the black lake, so the colors faded from green to a glowing white. The steps unwound in front of her, as she made her way up. Her heart was pounding, unaware of what she would see at the top. It was very late, so she didn't know who would be up and out of bed at this hour. It was against the rules to be out of the dorm this late.

Then, she reached a small window, near the top of the towering stairs. It was a regular paned window, broken up into pieces. The moonlight shown through it with a heavy glow. Giving the window an almost haunting feeling. However, the most interesting part of this window, at the time, was that Draco Malfoy was standing by it. He was leaned up against the wall, his hands supporting him on the window sill, staring outside at the night. He was breathing pretty heavily, as if he had just been chased. Lixella wasn't sure what to do, he seemed to want privacy, and she had never seen him worked up before. It confused her a bit, to see him have any look, other than smug. She just stood, in silence, watching him stare outside, almost insanely.

"You…" he said as he slowly shifted his eyes to her, "why are you here, Cruxshade? Why are you always here?"

"Well, gosh Draco, I…" she couldn't finish after seeing his face, "I mean, are you okay?"

His face shifted back towards the window. He sighed heavily and pursed his lips together, and his gaze shifted back towards her. He pushed himself off of the window, and turned to face her. The stairwell became so quiet that Lixella could hear water dripping from the dungeon downstairs. Several seconds passed where they just shifted glances. Until, he inhaled sharply, as if he was about to say something extremely important.

"um" he started, "I just, I can't…" he paused suddenly, trying to word it all. After a while of playing around with words in his head, he gave up. He couldn't explain what he had to do, Lixella wasn't a death eater. She was trustworthy, but he didn't think she'd understand. He grabbed onto his left arm, and hung his head, in defeat.

"I just can't, deal with dad….being in jail." he said, unable to think of anything else.

"I saw in the news, about he search they did on your house. I'm sorry, that must've been pretty terrifying." she responded.

"Yeah, it was" he grabbed onto the back of his neck awkwardly. The two of them had always had this strange dynamic to their relationship. They kept each other in check with snaky remarks, but understood their stress because of their bickering with each other.

"Look, my dad died for all of this stuff. I don't really understand why he had to, or wanted to. But, he didn't seem to have a choice. Be happy yours is still alive. I don't know a lot about the death eaters. Well, other than the stories I've heard from my family. I just, I didn't like what they did….especially how my dad was always effected by it, negatively." her tone was darker than usual. It wasn't a clever mocking tone, it conveyed a real sense of distance, and distrust. She gazed out at the stairwell with glassy eyes.

"What your dad did, was amazing. It's kind of an expectation for everyone to…..sacrifice everything in a war." he tried to speak as cryptically as possible. His words were terrible,

and he looked back to see if she understood.

"Expectations!" she exclaimed, chuckling, "That's what it is, huh? Living up to expectations of other people. Trying to prove your worth to someone who barely knows you. Yeah, that sounds, just like something worth dying for."

She didn't understand what he meant, but he didn't want to move any further with it.

"We should go to bed." he said meekly, "or…umm…"

"or you'll lose your ability to form full sentences?" she said with an understanding smirk.

"The only one who is going to go speechless around here is you, Cruxshade!"

"Oh…really Draco, and when is this amazing silence going to happen?"

"Trust me, you'll know Cruxshade! You'll be left gawking at me…"

"well, that will take a while then. Because what you have now, is far from gawking level!"

"Still jealous of Pansy, I see?" He remarked, walking down the stairs.

"Who, you're love sick puppy? Or is that the poo throwing monkey that you like to play tongue quidditch with?"

Again, she could swear she heard him chuckle at her remarks about Pansy.

"poo throwing?" he asked, halting his stride down the stairs.

"Yep, she's been flinging shit at Jynx and me all year!" she exclaimed, "after she spit on me of course!"

"Well, every great leader needs someone to do the dirty work for him."

"oh, you make fun of your minions too?" They had reached the portrait door, "ya just don't hold back about anyone, do you Draco?"

"Sniveling Slugs" he said and the door swung open, "No, why should I. It's not like the people here are worth it?"

"So, what do you have to say about me, huh? I'm sure there's a lot!"

He turned around, Lixella bumped into him. She looked up with attitude, crossing her arms, waiting for a snarky reply. Draco's expression became sinister and crazy. In a split second, he leaned down, and kissed her. It was so quick, that Lixella wasn't sure if it'd actually happened. She stared at him, confused, for several seconds. Then, her face twisted into something gruesome.

"Oh! Disgusting…STDs, Cooties, oh god! Monkey poop! You are vial Draco…you kissed me with the mouth you use to kiss that diarrhea infested monkey of yours!"

"Good night, Lixella…try not to dream about me too much!" he yelled as he strode up to the boys dormitory.

"If you make me sick Malfoy, I swear to god!" she shouted. It was pointless, he had already reached the upstairs. Lixella stood in anger for a minute, then headed to the girls room. Surprisingly, Jynx wasn't in her bed. In fact, she entered minutes later.

"Jesus, were you in the bathroom that whole time?" asked Lixella.

"Eh…I 'ad to take a shit! Then I wondered if I should t'row it at Pansy over there!" she exclaimed, sitting down. Pansy heard her remark and darted her head around. She narrowed her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at Jynx. "Oh no! look out for flying monkey spit!" She yelled, pansy just pouted and turned back to her homework. Lixella couldn't sustain her laughter, and ended up on the floor.

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><p>this...guys..was a really long chapter, with not too much in it! But, I'm trying to get through first semester, and character development...<p>

The really good stuff doesn't come till winter break and post-winter break in hogwarts!

Well, I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading! send me a review...see you in the chapter 10 party ^_^


	10. Parchment 10:Part 1: Let

So, here's is the fabeled chapter 10! This chapter will be split into 2 parts, because the next one must be perfect!

10.5.1 stands for 1st half of chapter 10!

Thank you to all of you who have been reading and reviewing!

Also, a thanks for adding my story to their watchlist: BloodyBleedingRose

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 10.5.1: Let's Have A Ball!

Lixella stared up at the ceiling of the girls dorm. The green murky water fell across the glass with elegance. It bathed the whole room with a shimmering emerald green. The color reminded her of Christmas at the Duskwood estate, where everything was cloaked with green and red. Christmas was on her mind, mostly because she was upset that she had missed Halloween. Usually, at her house, they held a masquerade ball. It was Lixella's favorite holiday. She wanted to have one. She barely heard about parties in Hogwarts, unless they followed sporting events, or were held by teachers. Then, an idea crossed her mind, and she shot out of bed.

"I've got it!" she shouted, causing the room to stare at her.

"Got what? You 'aven't got anythin' " Jynx exclaimed.

"No…a masquerade ball…think about it!" she said, excitedly.

"A ball? 'ere? Do ya realize how much protection is on this school?"

"Darnit! I know everyone is freaking out because of all of these attacks….but dammit that is no reason to not hold a ball. That should be more of a reason!"

"No one is gonna' go for it! Just to warn ya"

"But, they want this reaction. If we keep running scared, they'll practically have control of us! This is what they want….a ball is perfect, and we could keep it completely secret!"

"Secret….it's a bit 'ard to keep a bunch of teenagers, in costume, dancing around' a secret! Don't ya think?"

"But, if we got teachers and staff to protect us….it wouldn't be so dangerous, would it?"

"Ya'd need someone awful smart to back you up! Someone Dumbledore trusts…"

"Harry Potter!" Lixella exclaimed, "Dumbledore trusts him more than any student. If we got him to back it up, we'd be set!"

"The whole school though? That's a lot o' students to protect!"

"Maybe just 6th years then? Just as a class thing?" she said, pacing, "And maybe the invites could be exclusive, like one person would give out the word."

"I still don't think it'll work…plus, 'arry doesn't even know you! And there's a disadvantage to meeting him.."

"what's that?" asked Lixella.

"You're a Slytherin, 'arry Potter is NOT trusting of Slytherins, very easily." Jynx stared at her sternly. Lixella realized defeat, she plopped down onto the bed. Of course, being sorted into this house made her an automatic enemy to Harry Potter, who had never met a good Slytherin. She sunk her face into her pillow. She needed help, from someone who was good at making plans.

"Hermione" she said, getting up, "Hermione Granger! She's Harry's friend. If she trusts me, he'd be a bit more open to it, right?"

"Hmm" Jynx raised her eyebrows in surprise, "well, that actually might work! I still think it'll be 'ard to ask Dumbledore, though."

"Yeah, but we'd have a chance at least!" she said, "First thing tomorrow, I'll ask Hermione."

The next day in ancient runes, Lixella shot the idea to Hermione. She did not look very approving of the idea.

"Lixella, it's a lovely idea" she said packing her books, "but, Harry is so busy with his lessons…and after all of these attacks… I mean just a few weeks ago, Ron almost got poisoned, and Kati Bell is still a subject in gossip. I just don't know if you could get it approved."

"But, think about it Hermione. The death eaters want us to be afraid of them, they want us to stop having fun. If we stop having these events, we'll be letting them win! Plus, the teachers have parties all the time, what about that party you're going to hosted by Slughorn? If he can throw a party, why not us?" she asked, wide eyed.

"Because Slughorn is a teacher….and it's in his office. Where would this even be at? You can't use the great hall if it's just for 6th years, especially if it's a secret. It would have to be close by, but not out in the open."

"what about that room…that you guys held Dumbledore's army in…the one that only shows up when you need it?"

"The room of requirement? That's ridiculous, it wouldn't open for everyone, Lixella."

"But…if we need it for a party, in secret, wouldn't it help us? Plus, you know where it is, and half of Gryffindor, and a few Ravenclaws, anyone who wanted to come would know!"

"Errmm" Hermione looked around, trying to find another excuse. She couldn't think of anything, Hogwarts was, in fact, a good place to hold a secret party. However, Hermione did not like the idea of holding a secret gathering of students, something could go wrong.

"C'mon, Hermione…at least introduce me to Harry! He could really help!"

"Fine...I will introduce you, and swing the idea past him" Hermione jabbed a finger in her direction, "But, you can't have too high of hopes, Lixella. You still have to get through Dumbledore!"

"Oh…my goodness! Thank you Hermione. You are such a good friend!" she exclaimed.

"Just meet us at dinner tonight, okay?"

"Yes, thank you!" Lixella said. She did not know what it would be like to meet Harry Potter, but she wanted to make a good first impression. After all, she was a Slytherin, and Harry wasn't fond of them. She spent quite a bit of time choosing what to wear. She wanted him to know that she wasn't a snaky Slytherin. She debated as to if she should wear her school robe. She decided not to, after all, it was just dinner. She put on just a simple black sweater with jeans. She arranged her hair for hours, but decided to leave it down. She stared at herself in the mirror.

"why do ya look so…not dressed up?" asked Jynx from the doorway.

"oh! Because I'm meeting Harry Potter. I don't want him thinking I'm a smug pure-blood Slytherin, ya know?"

"Ugh" Jynx huffed as she sat on her bed, "I hate the word Pure-blood, it's so negative."

"Yeah, I hate it too!"

"Ya look like a girl whose about to meet a boy she's in love wit'? all, fixin' ya hair, and matching ya clothes!"

"Oh god" Lixella stared at herself, "you're right! Oh no…" she stared at the mirror in shock.

"What?" asked Jynx.

"I'm turning into a Pansy" Lixella turned around with wide eyes. They both looked over to the other circle of beds. Pansy was checking her hair in a hand mirror. She was about tot go get dinner with Draco and his minions. They looked back at each other, and laughed.

"That was a good one!" Jynx snorted as she fell onto her bed.

"yeah, I'd never be that sad" Lixella arranged her sweater again, "well, see you in an hour or so". She sped out of the door. As she left the portrait hole, she darted by Draco.

"Hey, Cruxshade! Where are you runnin' to?" he called after her.

"To meet Harry Potter" she shouted back at him, "don't wait up!"

Draco's mouth dropped open, he stood there, dumbfounded. He turned back towards the portrait hole. He couldn't believe that she was so excited about meeting Potter. "Tch….Potter" he scoffed, as he entered the dorm, "who'd want to eat dinner with him? And I thought she was better than that". At that moment, Pansy came scuffling down the stairs. She nearly bounced over to Draco, and crashed into him, sending them both to the floor. "Why? Why does this keep happening?" he asked, aloud.

"What, Draco?" she asked with wide eyes. She smelled like overly flowery perfume. Draco could not stand the smell of roses, or any other flowery thing. He preferred for people to just smell clean, like water and soap. He pushed her off of him, sneezing from her scent.

"Where are Zabini and Goyle? Weren't they coming too?" he asked.

"Yeah…they'll meet us there!" Pansy said. He rolled his eyes. He did not understand why those two took so long. They left him with Pansy, who wasn't terrible, just annoying. He sighed, and headed out of the dorm, to dinner.

The great hall ceiling had been enchanted to depict snow falling. Behind the delicate white flakes, were the usual stars and a crescent moon. The candles on the ceiling floated in peaceful bliss. However, below them, bustling crowds of student sat eating dinner. Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with Ron, reading the latest issue of _The Quibbler_. He was particularly interested in an article about recent banshee sightings in America. Harry didn't even know banshee's existed.

"Do Banshee's exist?" he asked Ron, who was inhaling a pork chop.

"Dunno" he said, swallowing it whole, "Bill said he'd seen one before, when he was workin' with dragons in Romania. But, he's one of the few that's ever seen them. They're pretty dark species, ya know?"

"Yeah" Harry said as he continued reading, "I guess"

"_Banshees, as they are referred to by the Irish, are not the common vision of death. In fact, it has been speculated that banshees are not spirits, but can become transparent when screeching. According to eye witnesses, they appear as living women. However, their skin is deathly pale, as they only appear at night, and their hair is white. It is speculated that these 'Banshees are no more than a cult or a species, that is matriarchal. They are usually spotted near famously dark forests, such as the ones in Romania, Transylvania, Ireland, England, Italy, and even in America. The earliest Americans to see banshees, are claimed to have learned dark arts from them. In the folklore of the Duskwood family (of Sleepy Hollow, NY) it is said that the family learned early forms of dark magic through Bansees. However, the Banshees disappeared soon after. But, sightings have increased in large numbers. In Ireland alone, the sighting of Banshees has increased by a considerable 10%."_

Harry read with a strange intent, he usually did not believe the things in _The Quibbler_, but these Banshees seemed to know quite a bit about dark magic. He wondered, if they were real, if they would join Voldemort and the death eaters?

He peered over his paper at Malfoy, who was sitting across the room. He was sure that he had become a death eater, and was frustrated that no one would believe him. Harry stared at Malfoy, whose gaze was focused intently towards the door. He looked rather worked up about whatever he was staring at. Harry turned his head towards the direction of his gaze. Hermione had just entered the great hall with the girl from their potions class. She was a Slytherin, and Harry had heard a few interesting things about her from Hermione and Ron. He wondered why it was making Malfoy so upset to see her. Then again, she was with Hermione, and strangely headed towards their table.

"Hey Harry, this is Lixella Cruxshade." she gestured to the girl next to her. She was a bit shorter than Hermione, with black silky hair, and a curvy figure. Her face looked unsure, as if she was intimidated. She was probably nervous to meet "The chosen one", Harry sighed.

"Hi" she said, curtsying, "it's nice to finally meet you!"

"Why, because I'm the chosen one?" he scoffed. Lixella's eyes narrowed, he was just as bad as Draco.

"Harry!" Hermione snapped at him.

"No…it's okay" said Lixella, "I understand. Having people expect things of you, and want to meet you, just because of your name. Pretty ridiculous isn't it? And they have this terrible assumption about who you are, because of the name you have." Harry looked at her, slightly shocked that she had just said that. No one had told him that before.

"So, why would you understand that?" he asked, a bit more acceptingly. Lixella took this as an invite to talk to him, and sat down.

"My whole life has been 'oh, Lixella Cruxshade…like _the_ Cruxshades, one of the oldest pure-blood families in existence. You must hate muggles, act properly, and be a death eater, right?' imagine that title!" she exclaimed to him. He'd never thought that someone from an ancient upstanding pure-blood family, would scoff at the idea of hating muggles.

"Yeah, bet it's annoying" he inquired.

"and don't even get me started on being a Slytherin! That doesn't help the reputation to my last name _at all!" _she laughed. Harry was surprised that she was a Slytherin, he hadn't met one yet that he liked, she may be the first. He peered over at Malfoy.

"So, if I asked you about Draco Malfoy?" he asked

"Oh…I've known him since I was little. Or what I can remember of then…" she exclaimed.

"If I told you I thought he was a death eater" Hermione buried her face in her hands at the mention of this theory. Ron was inhaling his plate, at this point, but took a large gulp as Harry said this.

"Honestly? He's kind of a prick, and pretty slow to pick things up. But, his dad was one, and I figure it's possible…..I don't want to think it is." Lixella's eyes darted to the right, she wouldn't turn her head to look at the Slytherin table.

"Harry, he's only 16!" Hermione exclaimed.

"that means nothing.." said Lixella, "Voldemort, would use anyone. Especially someone who wanted revenge, and Draco's pretty upset about his dad. He may seem incompetent, but when he wants to prove himself, he'll stop at nothing. It's a big trait among Slytherins that we stop at nothing to prove our worth, if the person really matters."

Harry smirked, he liked this new girl. She was the first person to get what he was talking about this whole semester. Then again, she was the first Slytherin that he had suggested the idea to.

"You talk like you know from experience?" Harry asked, receiving another vicious glance from Hermione.

"I don't….but I hear stories from past death eaters sometimes." they all stared at her in shock, "I am pure-blood after all. I meet a lot of these people, regularly. Voldemort wants power, and it sounds like he'd stop at nothing to get it."

Harry looked at her with approval. She seemed to know what she was talking about. He felt a tad relieved, knowing that there was at least one good Slytherin. They kept on talking, about school and life. Lixella seemed like she was trapped in a world she didn't want to be in. Harry finally met someone that understood the burdens of being born into an expectation.

Several minutes passed before Hermione decided to bring up the subject of the masquerade. They both explained the plan to Harry. Lixella argued for it, Hermione argued against it. Lixella seemed to have a point about not giving into fear. However, Hermione brought up the strict protection on Hogwarts, and everyone's paranoia.

"Yeah, but Slughorn is having a party. If he's allowed to, why not us?" Lixella exclaimed, for the third time. She had a point, parties weren't banned, but they would have to be secretive. Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore would approve though. Actually, Dumbledore seemed to like parties. Perhaps he would like this idea. It wasn't too much, just a party for the 6th years, in a secret location. The room of requirement would present itself if they needed it. Then, everything would be provided for them.

"Okay…" Harry exclaimed out of the blue. Hermione stared at him with shock. "What? It's a good argument. We shouldn't give into fearing everything. Plus, she's got it all planned out, might as well run it by Dumbledore. It's not like anything terrible would come about from asking him, at least."

"Oh, my goodness….you are wonderful!" Lixella shot forward, and hugged him. Harry noticed Draco sitting across the room, glaring at him. He glared back, out of habit, completely oblivious as to why he was doing it. "Thank you so much." she said, releasing him, "This will be a wonderful party!" They all sat and planned out how to ask Dumbledore.

Eventually, dinner ended, and they all headed out of the great hall. Lixella waved good-bye to all of them, and headed off. She was going towards the astronomy tower, because she'd left her Divination book in the class room. It was getting late, and she didn't want to run into Filtch. She figured that if worse came to worse, she could get Professor Trelawny to explain it all. She was headed down a hallway, thinking about the party, when she noticed a door. It was slowly shrinking, but had halted as she stared at it. It then slowly grew bigger.

Lixella stood in shock as she watched the door grow. She blinked a few times, and rubbed her eyes. "Was this the room of requirement?" she thought. She had to take a look inside. She opened the door, and nearly dropped her things. Inside, was a massive never ending room, full of random things. There were dressers, socks, lamps, decorations, and even a few door knobs. She walked through the room, dazzling in awe at the items that it contained. Suddenly, a noise, like a moving sheet, entered her ears. She stopped in her tracks, there couldn't be anyone in there with her, could there?

She turned a few corners, and stopped behind a pile of chairs. A few feet in front of her, stood Draco Malfoy. He was staring at a cabinet, that Lixella had seen before. It was tall and angled, painted black with silver iron accents. The Cruxshade crest acted as the hinges to two doors. She gasped, "_This is what he and Uncle were looking at in Bourgin and Burke!"_ she thought. Draco's head darted around, to her direction. He saw nothing, she had slid under the pile of chairs. She crawled forward underneath a table, covered by a sheet. She then looked through the crack between the sheet and the table leg.

Draco stared at the cabinet with almost a forcefulness. He took an apple out of his pocket, and placed it into the cabinet. After a few seconds of standing with his eyes closed, there was a whispering sound. He opened the doors again, the apple had vanished. Lixella was mesmerized, the vanishing cabinet actually worked? It had been broken for years, which was why her father kept it. He had been trying to repair it since he received it in the will. There was another whisper, and Draco opened the doors again. He leaned down and picked up the apple. A chunk had been removed from it. He did this several times, and each time a chunk was removed. He stared at it, upsettingly. Then, tossed the apple onto the floor. It rolled towards Lixella.

She wanted desperately to know what he was doing. Also, to know why the other vanishing cabinet was at Hogwarts, not her house. Draco headed away from the cabinet, and towards the exit. Lixella crawled out from under the table, once he was out of sight. She had watched her dad work with this cabinet. It was a complicated piece of magic. She remembered her father muttering an incantation. She wanted to try it, herself. She fumbled around for something to place in it. Then with a 'pop', another apple appeared on the table she was hiding under. She took it and placed it in the cabinet, she waited, nothing happened. She tried to remember the incantation. It was non-verbal, so she stood with her eyes closed in concentration.

"Mitto" she thought. There was a whisper. Lixella opened the door, the apple had vanished. Now, the trick was that the incantation for return was the same, most people assumed it was, _accipio_, or 'I receive'. Lixella thought the incantation, _mitto_, again. She opened the doors to find the apple, completely solid. She headed back to the dorm, confused by what she had just seen. She was afraid to ask Draco what he was doing with a vanishing cabinet in Hogwarts. Plus, she couldn't shake Harry Potter's suspicion that he was a death eater. The reasons he presented to her, were shocking, and made it all to possible. Lixella lay in her bed that night, fearful that one of her good friends, was working for Voldemort. She knew Draco could do better than that. But his thirst to prove himself, was far too great. It sent a chill up her spine, she was scared for him. He did not realize what he was getting himself into.

She awoke the next morning to find tears on her pillow. She had a terrible dream about Draco killing someone. She spent the whole dream tugging at his arm, trying to make him stop. But, he wouldn't. She stared at the ceiling ominously. It was hard to shake off the dream, it was too vivid. Nonetheless, she had to, because today she was going to see Dumbledore.

She entered the great hall for breakfast. It was Saturday, so no one actually had classes. She had agreed to meet Harry and Hermione here before talking to Dumbledore. The two of them came walking up to her. She wasn't sure if she should tell them what happened last night in the room of requirement. After all, Draco's family had suffered a lot, and Lixella didn't want to be the reason for causing more. Instead, she changed the subject to the party.

After a few minutes of walking they reached the large stone stairs to Dumbledore's office. They each took a spot on the staircase.

"Acid pops" Harry said, and they ascended upwards. When they reached the top, Harry knocked on the door. "It's Harry, sir. Also Hermione, and Lixella Cruxshade. We have something we need to ask you."

The door clicked open, and the three of them proceeded inside. Lixella stood speechless at the marvel of Dumbledore's office. It had cases full of strange objects, bookshelves lining the walls, and a phoenix sitting on the desk. Dumbledore looked up at the three of them and smiled. Lixella couldn't help but noticed his blackened hand. He waved his sleeve over it, as if wanting to hide the subject.

"This isn't the normal three." stated Dumbledore.

"Sorry, this is Lixella Cruxshade." Harry said, pointing to Lixella.

"I know, it's nice that we can finally meet in person, Ms. Cruxshade. I hope you're enjoying your year here, so far. Transferring schools can be hard for a witch, especially at your age, when you're so used to one place." he said with a soft smile.

"Thank you, sir. This school is much more than I expected it to be. I'm glad to be here" she said.

"But, you didn't come to hear me talk about the school, I'm sure. So, what does bring you three here?"

The three of them explained the idea of a masquerade to Dumbledore. They stated their arguments. It would be for their year only, well protected, and held in the room of requirement. Lixella was happy to report that she had found the room the other day when looking for a place to hold the party. Upon stating this, she received confused looks from Harry and Hermione. Dumbledore listened with preserve, asking a few questions every now and then.

"Well, I don't see why a masquerade would be a bad idea. After all, what is a school without a few social events. It would have to be well protected though. I'll have some professors there to be sure it all runs smoothly. Just realize, if something _does_ happen, it will come back on the school. If it does, then more children will be taken home. So, we must keep this as hushed as possible." said Dumbledore.

Lixella nearly jumped from her seat, she was very happy. The three of them said good bye and exited the office. They each headed for their dorms, chatting about what the party should look like. Lixella and Hermione were most anxious to find something to wear. It would be complicated keeping it in hushed tones, if all the girls were buying dresses. However, Lixella was more excited that she would be going to a masquerade this year, after all. Her parents would be proud.

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><p>chapter 10 is starting off pretty well! Now Lixella just has to find an outfit, and possibly a date?Maybe, someone to dance with?<p>

Oh, but that isn't all that the ball holds for her. A run in with someone very important as well...who is it? keep reading,

I'll post the next part tomorrow ^_^

Until then...thanks for reading!


	11. Parchment 10:part 2:The Dark Waltz

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the preview of my first ever 10th chapter!

We have a very special chapter for you today, I hope you enjoy it!

This is part 2 of chapter 10

Thank you to all who have read and also to: watergoddesskasey and Lady of Blatant Sarcasm. I hope you enjoy!

Warning: there's a part in here with "The Dark Waltz" from _Phantom of the Opera_. I had a video planned that you could link to, but i forgot that this site is picky with that. So type the song into youtube, and it should be the second one down.

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><p>Just incase you haven't heard this song before, here's a youtube video. This song was origianlly created for <em>Phantom of the Opera,<em> by Anderw Lloyd Webber, and in no way do i own it, the video was made by xlemon. it is on youtube, since it won't let me copy and paste the link, type in this ending.

"/watch?v=K5VnBTnI3s4"

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><p><p>

Our Time is Running Out

Parchment 10.5.2: The Dark Waltz

A few weeks passed, word spread about the dance. Somehow, everyone, was able to keep the dance a secret. A few first years knew about it, but were quickly told to keep quiet. The day of the dance had finally come. Lixella woke up early that Saturday, and headed to the room of requirement to start decorating. She was going to have Jynx help her, but she was in detention that morning with Snape. Instead, she was meeting everyone else in front of the astronomy tower. She was thinking about if she needed a date or not, she wasn't sure. Lixella hated asking boys to dances, she thought the idea that she had to accompany a boy was very cliché. Since it was her idea in the first place, she figured that she did not need one.

She headed up the stairs, rushing to the top. She wanted to get to the astronomy tower as quickly as possible. Passing down the hallway upstairs, was Draco, who was trying to avoid Pansy. He knew she would ask him first, and he couldn't say no to her. He wanted to ask Lixella, but he knew they both had far too much pride to accept an invitation from one another. Then, she came striding down the hallway.

"Cruxshade…" he said, she stopped suddenly and looked over at him.

"Oh, Hi Draco, you need something?" she half heartedly hoped he was asking her to the masquerade. The other half of her was thinking of clever remarks she could make at the moment.

"umm….I, was going to, wondering actually….if you, had seen Parkinson?" he asked, almost choking on his words.

"oh" she looked down a bit, "she's in the common room, practicing her defensive spells."

"thanks!" he said, turning away towards the stairwell.

"are you going to the dance tonight?" she asked. His heart sank, he knew that the perfect moment had passed.

"Yeah, I'm going….you?"

"Of course I'm going" she chuckled, "It was my idea in the first place!"

"well, I umm…I guess I'll see you there, then?"

"Yeah, guess so…" she said as he turned away. She mentally punched herself. That was her chance to ask him. However, she let her pride get the better of her. Lixella knew that she had to get past this whole, I'm your rival, act. At least, if she ever wanted to actually get to know him. She knew their relationship wasn't as rivals. They were just friends who communicated through bickering.

With the awkward part of the day done, she headed up the tower, to the room of requirement. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, and Neville, were waiting for her arrival. They spent hours hanging wreaths, and holly. They debated on hanging mistletoe, but decided it was a silly idea. Harry put in that, "if someone really needs it, it'll show up, trust me!". Lixella assumed he knew from past experiences.

Once they were done, they stood back and admired the work. The room was large, with a snowy white ceiling. From every banister and column hung boughs of evergreen, wrapped with holly and red ribbon. Wreaths floated by the walls, holding candles inside of them. The floor was a sparkling white, and so were the several tables and chairs that had been set out. They had set a table with refreshments and a never melting ice sculpture of two swans holding up a snowflake. It was dazzling, down the crimson curtains on the walls.

They all headed out to get ready. The door to the room of requirement was left open once the teachers arrived. Lixella was chatting with Harry on their way out about how terrible Snape was. The two of them had become pretty good friends over the past couple of weeks.

"or, when he does that thing?" Harry threw his imaginary cloak over one arm, "_Mister Potter, I suggest…you…get a new…attitude…..towards…everything!"_ He paused in between almost every word. Lixella was almost on the floor.

"or my favorite" said Lixella as she put her nose in the air, "_The Defense Against the…Dark arts. Is not for the …faint…of heart! You must be quick, snooty…and above all….develop my giant…..nooooose!"_ she elongated 'nose' exaggeratingly. Harry stopped walking, because he had been overtaken with laughter.

"That is _so_ him!" he laughed, "ugh…I hate that man!"

"Me too, I mean I've only been here for two months and he's managed to poke at me from every angle!"

They both strode down the hallway, laughing and talking. Eventually, they made it to the Gryffindor portrait hole. Harry turned to Lixella as she was walking away.

"Just, by the way…." he started, she turned around, "I know you're going with Jynx, but save a dance for me, okay?"

"Sure Harry!" she said. She was excited about the invitation. Harry was a really nice guy. Every time she saw him before, he looked bored and full of angst. Now, he seemed a little happier. Kind of like Draco, but he was far more open about it. Lixella knew that dancing with Harry would make Draco extremely jealous. The whole thing seemed a bit childish, but there was nothing she could do now.

Lixella stared at herself in the mirror once she was done getting ready. Her dress was purple, to match her eyes. It was a typical ball gown, with a large skirt. The silk fell in creases down the large skirt, ending with embroidered crescent moons, and swirling curved black thread. The top adorned the same embroidering, It went over the chest, and trickled down her stomach line to the skirt. The body piece, ended in a curved point, and wrapped to the back, where it was met by a large black bow. The jacket only came to the top of the dress. It was black cloth, with ruffled cloth around the neck and tight sleeves. It was cut so that the top of it clipped around her neck, but did not cover her chest.

Her hair had been done up by Jynx. It was pinned up into an up-do. Curls fell from the up-do, and down her back. The front of her hair fell in a delicate wave, across her face and to her tangle of curls. On her head she wore a tiara, made of black twisting metal. It sat on the crown of her head, and came to a point on her forehead, adorning a crescent moon gem with a dagger through it. The tiara had belonged to her grandmother. She put her mask on, it was a delicate black mask, made of felt and lace. Holes were cut into the negative space, which were designed with curling lines. The top line of the mask resembled the shape of her tiara, as they mimicked each other on her forehead. She brushed a few strings off of the dress, and Jynx walked out of the bathroom.

"ready to go?" she asked.

She wore a short black dress, with a green lined corseted top. Her hair had been sprayed into a pinup style of curls. In her hair she wore a black bow, with an emerald green bat pin. Her mask was that of a black crow, made of green and black tulle. On her back, she wore small black leather bat wings. "Bloody hell!" she remarked, staring at Lixella, "you look like a queen o' tha night!"

"haha…oh, that's a funny one!" Lixella laughed, thinking of Elvira the show hostess. Jynx stared at her, confused.

"No…I mean it" she stated plainly, "you look lovely, but in a dark way!"

"Shall we go then, Madame?" Lixell held out an elbow.

"Why, o' course your majesty!" Jynx linked elbows with her.

The two headed up to the ball room, as each other's dates. They reached the room of requirement and said hello to Professor McGonnagal and Snape on the way in.

"Wow…you two look great together" said Luna. She walked up to them, with Neville. She had come as a dragon fly, with wings. Neville was one of the few boys with an actual animal mask, depicting a lion.

"Yeah, she's jus' so cute…I couldn't say no!" said Jynx.

"Hey guys!" they turned to see Harry and Ron, without dates. It was strange to think that Harry Potter couldn't find a date. They had both come in just dress robes, with regular black masks.

"where's Hermione?" asked Lixella.

"getting ready, she takes forever" said Ron. He was then quickly punched in the back by an annoyed Hermione. She hadn't come as an animal, but as winter. She simply wore a sparkling white gown, with a white lace mask, and snow flakes in her hair.

"You're terrible" she taunted to Ron, "I leave for two seconds and you start complaining about me. Hello, everyone"

"Hi Hermione" they said in small groups. They all turned to the stage as the first band of the night was announced. They couldn't get the weird sisters to play, since it was a small masquerade. Instead, they had hired various students from school, who tried out. The first was a group of boys. They started off with a Muse song, "Our Time is Running Out" . Ron took Hermione's hand, and Harry looked over at Lixella.

"Shall I have this dance, Madame Cruxshade?" He asked, bowing.

"Why, of course Mister Potter" she said, curtsying and giggling.

Harry was quite a good dancer, especially fast paced. They twirled, and spun, and even clapped. The whole room was whizzing by her as she danced wit him. She started laughing, out of sheer enjoyment.

_You're something beautiful_

_A contradiction!_

_I want to play the game_

_I want the friction_

…_.yeah you, will suck,_

_The life, out of me_

Across the room, was Draco, dancing with Pansy. He turned and saw Lixella, dancing with Harry. His heart sank, she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his company. Out of all of the people she could've chosen, she had to choose him. "_Potter!"_ he scoffed, Potter always got exactly what he wanted, without having to try. It made Draco sick, he couldn't let Harry take Lixella, too. The song ended, and he kept his eyes on Lixella. He knew this would happen, that he would come, and be disappointed.

After a few more wonderful dizzying dances with Harry, and one with Neville, Lixella had to sit down. She exited the crowd of people, and went to get a cup of punch. She watched Jynx doing a strange fluttering dance with Luna. The two of them looked like idiots, but they were having so much fun. Her eyes gazed around the ballroom, until they hit Draco. He was sitting in a corner, waving away a very excited Pansy Parkinson. He had come in nothing but a simple black suit. Lixella was almost upset that he didn't have a mask. She walked over to him, and sat down.

Draco sat, staring out at the crowd of people, jumping to the music. He had danced with Pansy, but he did not want to continue doing that. He actually was not fond of dancing. This was probably the reason why he never went to these parties.

"So, I'm going to have to take 5 points from Slytherin" said a voice from beside him. He looked over to see Lixella, dressed in one of the most beautiful dresses he had ever seen.

"5 points?" he exclaimed, "for what?"

"Dress code, Draco. You are not in proper attire. You're at a masquerade, with no mask…5 points deducted." she said

"I have a mask" he said, he held up a black mask. It resembled the shape of a bird beak mask, but with pointed features, like a dragon. "I'm just _choosing_ not to wear it, I have that option!" he said. Lixella laughed and shook her head.

"Fine…I'll let you off, for this one occasion." she said, "No snarky comments for the whole night! Consider yourself lucky, I don't do this for everyone."

"the whole night?" he asked in disbelief, she nodded, "I don't believe you, Lixella. It's impossible for you to take me seriously!"

"Wanna bet?" she asked.

"Yeah…let's bet. If you can go the whole night without making a snide remark to me, you get one chance to tell me to do anything."

"same goes for you, Draco" she said. The two of them sat in silence, they hadn't realized how hard this would actually be.

"Alright" came an announcing voice, "For our next singer, we have Eloise Pennington, performing 'Dark Waltz'." A girl walked onto the stage. She had blond hair, and dark skin. Her hair was adorned with butterflies that fluttered. Her dress was a light blue, and she wore sheer fairy wings on her back.

"Ha…come with me!" Draco grabbed Lixella's arm just as the girl began to talk about the song. This was his chance. He darted out of a side entrance, and up a flight of stairs. He stopped before they reached the top, and put his hands over Lixella's eyes.

"what are you…" she started.

"trust me…you won't be able to resist this" he guided her through a door, and up some stairs. After a few more steps, he removed his hands.

They were on top of the astronomy tower. Lixella had nothing to say, she was completely speechless. The moon was full that night, and it glistened on the stunning view below. She could see the black lake, shimmering emerald, and could make out the Slytherin dorm below it. The shoreline lifted up into rolling hilltops, dotted with trees that were bathed in moonlight. Then, they became tall mountains, that pointed to twinkling stars above them. The night sky was clear, despite a few silver lined clouds. She felt arms wrap around her waist.

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><p>"I told you I would make you speechless one day" Draco whispered, leaning down towards her ear. A smile forced it's way across her face, she couldn't help it. Then, the violins started, and a clear voice sang with them. He took her hand and guided her out onto the wide floor of the astronomy tower.<p>

_We are the lucky ones_

_We shine like a thousand suns_

_When all of the color runs, together_

_I'll keep you company_

_In one glorious harmony_

_Waltzing with destiny, forever_

Lixella stared up at him as they began swaying. He held her gaze with soft eyes. As the music flowed, they flowed with it. They stared into each others eyes, silent, for the first time. She had finally gotten past thinking of him as her rival.

_Dance me into the night_

_Underneath the moon, shining so bright_

_Turning me into the light. _

Suddenly, all the problems she had that semester, melted away. The only thing she could focus on, was Draco.

_Time dances, whirling past_

_I gaze through the looking glass_

_And feel , just beyond my grasp, is heaven _

_Sacred Geometry_

_Where movement is poetry_

_Visions of you and me, forever _

_Dance me into the night_

_Underneath the moon shining so bright_

_Turning me, into, the light_

He spun her, and twirled her. With every crescendo, he would lower her into a soft dip. Then, he would lift her up. Her gown swirled outward with every turn. It was gorgeous, they danced below the moonlight, no other lanterns in the room. Lixella's heart was racing, she couldn't believe that she was waltzing perfectly, with Draco.

_Dance me into the night_

_Underneath the moon shining so bright_

_Let the dark waltz begin~_

_Oh, let me wheel-let me spin_

_Let it take me, again_

_Turning me into the light_

The moment was perfectly placed. Lixella's pale skin was almost shining. Her figure swaying beautifully underneath the moon's glow. Draco wasn't sure if he ever wanted to stop dancing with her. She was so perfectly placed into his life. This year had been brutal to deal with, but she had shown up. She had given him someone to argue with, to bicker with, and someone who cared without knowing. She seemed to come into his life when everything was changing, when he needed someone to be angry with.

Eloise sang the last few lines with a clear, haunting beauty. As the violins faded away, Draco spun her, and pulled her in. He held her hand to his chest, and lowered her curved figure, one last time into a low dip. She opened her eyes as he pulled her back up. She still had nothing to say. She didn't want to say anything, in fear that if she did then she would wake up. He was still gazing at her. He had never seen something so purely beautiful before.

"Guess I lose…"he said, in a soft voice. Her gaze fell down, she hadn't returned to earth yet. He lifted up her chin with his hand. "Don't worry, it'll be okay" he said, and leaned down. He gently kissed her, and sparks jumped around in her stomach. He held her there for a second, kissing her softly underneath the moon. She brought her hand to his face, and held him there. Lixella had been kissed before, but not as romantically as this. Everything that anyone had said about kissing in music or romance novels, she was feeling. She could almost hear violins crescendo in the background. The adrenaline began flowing through both of them, rushing through their veins. Time stood still, as they stood on the Astronomy tower, kissing each other.

They both leaned apart after a while, once the music downstairs changed. Draco looked down at her, and a smirk crept over his lips. She smiled back up at him.

"So, what now?" she asked

"Do you want to go back?" he asked, a bit confused.

"No….honestly, I don't" she said.

"Then stay up here" he exclaimed, "with me"

They stood on top of the astronomy tower, staring out at the beautiful scenery. A few hours passed by, they just stood there, talking. They weren't even sure if the party was still going on. The music had stopped a while ago.

"So…you can't remember _anything_ from that summer?" he asked

"No, my memory is completely gone. Except for the night I left your house." she replied.

"That is ridiculous! No wonder my mom gave you that vial. Who did that to you?"

"That's the point, I don't remember them. I just remember feeling scared, and suffocating."

She had told him about the strange things that had been happening to her. The prediction in divination, her memory loss, having to live with her relatives, and owning a house she couldn't live in. He stared at her, dumbfounded by what she was saying. He could not believe that she had all of these problems.

"The problem is…I don't even have my parents to guide me. My mom can't help me with this whole, Family room thing, and my dad, well he can't save me from harm anymore. I'm having to maneuver everything myself, for the first time. I have such little guidance." She stared at the shimmering water below.

"I know what you mean, my father is in prison. Therefore, my mother is paranoid about everything that I do. She's so scared I'll get caught umm, doing something bad, and be umm, expelled. And, no one can help me." he stated, with equal weight. She peered over at him, questioning what she should say next.

"I could help you…if I knew what you were doing?" she said, his eyes darted to her, "I know about the vanishing cabinet, it was my dad's. I know how to work it. I just don't understand why you need it so badly."

He sighed heavily, "No, I can't tell you why I need it." he said, not looking at her.

"Why not Draco? Is it that bad?" she asked. He tried to turn away, but she grabbed his left arm. He shot around and yanked his sleeve down.

"No!" she said, with wide eyes. She grabbed his sleeve, and pulled it up. To her dismay, there, on his left arm, was a dark mark. "Dammit, Draco! Why?" she yelled.

"You don't understand." he tried to explain, "I have to do this, Lixella!"

"Do what? No you don't…" she said forcefully, "you can do so much better!"

"Not until I can prove myself…" his voice trailed off. He couldn't get her to understand. "You're whole family is full of death eaters. Surely, you'd understand something like this?"

"No…never…I would _never_ join them!" she was almost crying. Voldemort had taken away, yet another person she loved. "I can't believe you…" she screamed, "you are better than this. You don't need approval from someone who doesn't hardly know you. He only knows you through your father, and I'm sure Voldemort has said barely anything to him. Why would you do that? You are 16, you have so much time ahead of you?"

He stared at her, unable to find the words. She was furious, she turned and stomped away from the balcony. "And don't you dare touch that vanishing cabinet!" she yelled, almost to tears. In a minute, she was gone. Draco was left there, holding her masquerade mask.

She had run down the stairs, past where the party was, and headed for the courtyard. She wanted to get away from the school, right then.

"Accio broomstick" she said, and her Dawndrifter 2005 came gliding towards her. She hoped on it, ball gown and all, and flew off to the outskirts of the forest, near Hagrid's house. She landed swiftly onto the ground, and climbed off. She sat by the edge of the woods, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't believe that Harry was right.

"Oh god…Harry! I can never tell him, he'll send Draco to Azkban for sure! But, he's going to do something terrible, I just know it!"

She plopped her head onto her gown skirt, and tried to think about something else. The night had been so perfect, up until this point. Then, she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. Her head perked up, her whole body went paralyzed for a second. She turned around slowly, and peered over the bushes. Standing in the pale moonlight, was a banshee. Lixella gasped in fear, the woman was staring right at her. She had ghostly white hair, and skin. Her eyes were black, her lips were blue, and she wore a long white evening gown. Lixella wasn't sure what to do. The banshee stared at her for a few seconds, examining her. Then, she turned around, and began gliding away. Lixella got up to follow her, but was reluctant to go into the forest. The woman turned around, and let out a low screech. Somehow, Lixella understood it clearly as, "Follow". She slowly headed in behind the woman.

Draco was left on top of the astronomy tower. He stared at the delicate mask in his hands. He couldn't help what he was, or what he had to do. However, he was pretty sure that he was falling for Lixella, who would never accept him as a death eater. But, did she even know what she was in for? He had heard terrible things from the last death eater gathering. Lixella's name came up, something about her being able to raise an army of Banshees. It was certain that Voldemort would want to get a hold of her.

Draco wanted to hide her, at all costs. He had to tell her, to warn her, she needed protection. He summoned his broomstick. After several seconds, it arrived. He got on it, and placed the mask in his pocket. He knew that he would get in trouble if he was seen by anyone, since it was so late. He flew around the school, unable to find her. After a good two hours of searching, he dismounted, just outside of the castle. He was getting ready to head back in, when he found her.

"Bloody hell…" he said as he ran over towards the outskirts of the forest. Lying there, with her broomstick next to her, was Lixella. Draco didn't even know she had a broomstick. She looked like she had crashed into something. Her dress was covered with dirt, and her body lay lifeless. He picked her up, supporting her head with his lap. He tried to get her to move. "Lixella, if you can hear me…do something!" he said, but she was motionless. He shook her several times.

It was hopeless, she didn't move. Then, a white figure emerged from beyond the forest. Draco held Lixella close to him. He was not going to let some demon attack them. He nearly fainted in shock, it was a real-live banshee. He thought that they were always just a myth. The banshee just stared at him, and glided over with grace. She knelt down to his level, and took Lixella's hand. He wasn't sure if he should stop her. The ghostly woman nodded at him , to calm down. She then opened her fanged mouth, and let out a single high pitched note. Draco wanted to cover his ears, but he didn't want to let Lixella go. In a moment, the woman faded away, and Lixella's eyes peered open. She began breathing again, but it was quick and raspy.

"D-draco?" she said, still mostly unconscious, "It…it hurts!"

"what hurts? Did that thing do something to you?" he asked hastily.

"No, my throat, I can't…I can't breath. They won't let me breath, Please, help!" she gasped for air. He picked her up, and rushed towards the hospital wing. Once he got there, he placed her in an infirmary bed, and went to wake Madame Pomfrey. He didn't want any questioning, so he just knocked on the door, and went to hide. Madame Pomfrey stepped outside, with a lit wand in her hand. She peered around, then noticed Lixella on the bed in the Infirmary. The old woman rushed over to the girl, and began asking her questions. Draco, unsure of what to do at this point, saw that she was in good hands, and headed downstairs, to bed.

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><p>Oh, did you feel that rush of adrenaline? I adore that song! Are you wondering if that white woman was an important character? cuz, she is!<p>

This chapter was extra-long, for obvious reasons! And, thank you to you all, for joining me in my 10th chapter celebration!

It took a long time to write this, and tweak it, so please do review if you can ^_^

Thanks for reading, Can't wait to see you all in chapter 11!

Preview: Lixella heads off to winter break, but ends up spending it in a way she had never hoped to. It's the beginning to her terrible ride, as a death eater! tune in next chapter!


	12. Parchment 11: You're Not Alone

Welcome to Chapter 11! Finally, we are inching closer to winter break, that's where the madness begins!

thank you for reviewing chapter 10 part 2: indigofrisbee and xXMizz Alec VolturiXx

and thank you to the story favorite from: LoveMePlz525

Read on and Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 11: You're not Alone

Lixella stared at the forest, it was haunting. The woods were as thick as they were pitch black. The trees seemed to go up forever. Even the ground was strange, it seemed to be covered with a slight fog. She had been following the banshee for a while now. She was scared to turn back around, mostly because she knew she was lost. The moon was getting lower, and the stars were slowly moving across the night sky. The banshee stopped, suddenly, almost causing Lixella to bump into her. She turned around, and stared at Lixella with her striking black eyes. She let out a series of toned screeches. It was strange that Lixella could understand her.

"_My name is Cordellia" _screeched the banshee.

"I'm Lixella. Lixella Cruxshade"

"_I know, you are the one we've been waiting for!"_

"who's we?" Lixella said in plain English.

"_My sister's and I"_

A group of banshees, all dressed in white gowns with deathly pale skin, appeared out of nothing. They floated over to Cordellia, and stood staring at Lixella. She stepped back in shock. Her heart was pounding, there wasn't much she could do. The banshees began whispering messages in screeches to each other.

"_I dunno, sister Cordellia" _said another banshee, "_she doesn't seem like she's ready!_"

"_If we don't help her now, sister Irene, she will be turned over to the darkness, and we will cease to exist!_" screeched Cordellia.

"_But, ours is the species that taught her family about the darkness!_" said another.

"_They learned it well.._" Crodellia responded, "_and did our sisters there a favor by freeing them of their bodies. They were influenced and corrupted by the darkness, they didn't know how to control it. The wizards did, though, which is why we must help her._"

"_She is not a Banshee_" said a rather small one, "_how could she ever learn of our way of life?_"

"_you forget, sister Lacy, this is the reincarnation of Aileen!"_ said Cordellia. The group of Banshees screeched in surprise. "_She can already understand our voice, clearly she possesses what she needs to! We must teach her! She will bring back our fallen sisters." _

The group of banshees nodded in approval. They all huddled around Lixella, who was quite scared to move. Her eyes darted around, keeping a good watch on all of their movements. Cordellia then stepped forward, and the rest of them linked hands in a circle.

"_Receive this gift, Lixella, reincarnation of Aileen of Duskwood!"_ she touched a bony, white hand to Lixella's tiara, "_Learn of us, and return our fallen sisters to us!"_

Suddenly, Lixella was on the ground, writhing in pain. Something had been triggered in her memory.

She saw two men, in crimson cloaks, levitating her body. Their spells caused her to choke. Her breathing became slow, and she fell to the floor in shock. She tried, desperately, to catch her breath. Then, one of them shot her with a bolt of red light. She screamed, and fell to the floor unconscious. The two men stopped, and leaned down to check her breathing. She shot up, and grabbed one of them, her teal eyes became purple. The cloaked figure stared at her with large eyes, "Arclese, I think we did it!" he shouted. Lixella yanked him to the ground, and let out a long and high screeching noise. It broke every glass object in the room. The two men fell to the ground, unconscious, with their hands over their ears. Then, one of them took his wand, and pointed it between her eyes, "Obliviate" he whispered.

Lixella shot up in her sleep. She peered around, at the infirmary room. It was dimly lit, and there was an older witch arranging medicine bottles by her bedside. "Oh, good you're up" said the witch, "I'm Madame Pomfrey, the nurse. You were left here by someone, are you alright dear?"

Lixella told her that she had been at the sixth year party, and must've passed out from exhaustion. She didn't want to actually tell this new witch about her experiences with the banshees. Madame Pomfrey said she was fine, and escorted her to the Slytherin dorm. Lixella thanked her for her help, and walked inside. It had been one of the strangest nights of her life. All she really wanted to do, was sleep. She quietly snuck upstairs, and crept over to her wardrobe to change out of her ball gown. After which, she slid silently into her bed.

A few weeks passed since that strange and wondrous night. It was nearly a week until she would be returning to the Cruxshade manor for Christmas. Usually, she would be happy to be leaving for winter break. However, she did not feel comfortable at her house anymore. She thought it odd that she would be spending Christmas with her aunt and uncle this year, perhaps Arthus would finally be there.

Luckily, her classes were going very well. She had begun losing contact with Draco, since the night she'd found out that he was, in fact, a death eater. It was difficult, now, she had to hold her tongue whenever Harry would mention his theory of Draco being a death eater. She couldn't tell anyone, she cared about him too much.

"So…I nevah' did ask ya where you went durin' the ball a few weeks ago?" asked Jynx one day as they studied.

"Oh…erm, I was…distracted" she said, sticking her face into her book.

"Mm hmm" Jynx exclaimed, not believing her. "Really? 'cuz, I remember…Draco, left a little early as well" her eyes darted to Lixella, waiting for an answer. Lixella sighed, heavily.

"you must _swear_ that you will _never_ tell this to anyone!" Lixella exclaimed with force.

"Oh! Juicy secrets….le's 'ear it then? I won' tell!" Jynx said as she crossed her heart.

"Draco and I…were dancing," Jynx's jaw dropped, "we were dancing on top of the astronomy tower."

"N-no….no…you are not….you did not!" she said, surprised, "Ya must've been undah the imperious curse or something?"

"No, he just, started dancing with me" she store off into the distance.

"Oh….please tell me ya aren't turning into Pansy" Jynx exclaimed.

"No!" Lixella scoffed.

"Y-you're really doin' this to me? Fallin' in love wit' Draco Malfoy!" Jynx looked at her, she was very displeased by this news.

"Well, not really….we aren't in love. I haven't talked to him since then." she exclaimed

"Go figure! He's the kiss an' run type. I always knew it!" Jynx sat back in her chair, her arms crossed. She kept glaring eyes on Lixella, she was not happy with her right now.

"What?" Lixella spat

"An' 'ere I thought you were different from the others!" Jynx shook her head.

"I am….how many people do you know that actually _like_ him for _himself_?" Lixella said forcefully, "How many people actually _know_ him?"

"Hmm, I guess ya got a point there. But, that doesn't change that I'm angry wit' ya!"

"Why?"

"'cuz, I thought you were different. Soon you'll be one of his minions too."

"Oh…come on Jynx, it's not like I'm changing! And I will _never_ be anyone's minion!"

"Whatevah….Let's stop talkin' about this." Jynx exclaimed. Lixella was happy to drop the subject, she knew Jynx would not approve of her story. She turned back to her textbook, trying to study banshees. Ever since that night in the forbidden forest, she had wanted to know more about them. She was trying to find the name "Aileen", when the boys dorm door screeched open and then closed. Out of it walked Blaize Zabini, and Draco Malfoy. They both were heading towards the exit, talking about Slughorn's party.

"I don't understand why he wouldn't want to invite me. Does he know who I am?" Draco exclaimed.

"Well, I think he's scared of you…ya know. What with your dad in jail and all." said Blaize.

Lixella tried to not look up from her book, but she couldn't help it. He passed by behind her, and looked over his shoulder as he walked away. She looked up from her book at him. His expression became distant, and a bit unhappy, then he turned away and kept walking. Lixella turned back to Jynx, who was now staring at her, disapprovingly.

"changn'!" said Jynx, "you two are startin' to act strange!"

Lixella just sighed and turned back to her book. After hours of homework, she headed upstairs to go to bed. She tossed an turned in her bed, she had been unable to sleep for a while. It was probably because she had gone to bed so early. She decided to get up and stretch her legs. She grabbed her wand off of the bedside table.

"lumos maxima" she exclaimed. A bright light shimmered at the end of her wand. She headed out of the dorm room, and down to the common room. She despised the rule that she had to be in bed after dark. Her research books were still sitting on the table in the common room, Lixella almost hit herself for leaving them there. She picked them up to take them back upstairs, when suddenly, one of them fell to the ground.

She leaned down to look at it. It was titled, "_Famous Folklore and Tales of the Magical World_". It didn't belong to her, it was Jynx's. She sat down, and began flipping through it. A page in the book had been marked with a paper bookmark. Lixella opened it to that page, it read , "_Tales of the Duskwood Banshees_". She sat reading it. It was about her family, and their defeat of the banshees in the Duskwood forest. It said that her family had killed them for their power, but Lixella remembered one banshee saying that it was to help them. She kept reading. There was a leader of each side. From the wizarding side, was Selena Duskwood, her very great grandmother. From the banshee side, was Aileen Darkmoon. Lixella's eyes grew wide, as she read.

"_Aileen was the only banshee known to possess black hair, and purple eyes. She was named Queen of the banshees after her defeat of the dark creatures in the forest. Upon defeating the most terrifying creature, the basilisk, she received a blessing of black hair and purple eyes, from the dark woodlings who feared the beast. Her hair and eyes were a symbol of blessing from the moon goddess Illunia. The blessing also made it possible for her to communicate with other creatures. Therefore, she was the bridge between the banshees and the wizards of the Duskwood family._"

Lixella could not believe it. Was she really the re-incarnation of this queen, surely not. The banshee queen sounded powerful. Lixella always thought herself bright, but she was never powerful. She had quite a few flaws. She was stubborn, prideful, snarky, sly, and sometimes dramatic. All of those were traits she pictured as negative, and there were still others, she was sure. Plus, she wasn't good at everything, mostly just divination and defense against the dark art. Then, it hit her, all this queen had to be good at was defense against the dark arts. She read on.

"_It has been told that after Queen Aileen died, she left a curse on the Duskwood family. She said that she would return to raise her fallen sisters. She would be reborn into the Duskwood name, as a witch."_

Lixella gasped, and chucked the book across the room. It plopped onto the other couch. She stared at it for a second, as if it would sit up and tell her more soon. She then took her wand and headed towards the girls dorm room. A whisper suddenly whisked past her ears. It was strange, and distant, but it was calling her. She walked over and smacked the book with her hand. However, this did not stop the whispering. She turned towards it's direction. It was coming form the entrance. Lixella began following it, almost involuntarily. She wandered out of the door and up the stairs as if she was in a trance. The sound was calling to her, she had to know where it was coming from. The voices called form down the hall, Lixella could see a small light around the corner. She walked cautiously, her wand lighting the way. Suddenly, the voices stopped, and she was standing next to a window. She looked out of it, and gasped. There, floating outside, by the forbidden forest, was a cluster of banshees, floating above the trees. It wasn't a dream, there actually were banshees, and Lixella was in fact the reincarnation of their leader. The banshees glided with grace around the treetops. They were singing a song, that to anyone else would sound like screeches. However, to Lixella, it sounded lovely and clear. She stood at the window, admiring the beautiful singing voices, when she heard footsteps around the corner.

Lixella ducked down, she couldn't be caught at this time of night. The footsteps stopped, and she could hear talking. She extinguished her wand, and peered around the corner. Snape and Draco had just entered into a classroom, and shut the door. Lixella noticed a corridor next to the classroom, she darted across the hall and sat by the wall. Her mother had taught her some spells for sleuthing. She tapped her wand on one of the bricks, and held her ear to it. The two of them were arguing, about some strange unknown plan.

"I swore to protect you, I made the unbreakable vow." sneered snape.

"I don't need your help. I have help!"

"You can't be placing important things like this in the hands of people like Crabbe and Goyle-"

"they're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!" Draco sneered at him. They kept arguing. Lixella wondered what plan they were talking about. It was probably the reason why Draco was a death eater, it was always obvious to her that Snape was one. Snape sounded a bit more worried though, talking about this unbreakable vow. The whole thing seemed complicated, and too secretive for safety. Lixella leaned in closer to the wall, then, there were footsteps. She heard the classroom door slam, she crouched into the shadows. Draco stomped passed the corridor she was hidden in. Snape rushed out soon after him.

Lixella sat there, her heart pounding. She could not bring herself to think about what awful things Voldemort was telling Draco to do. The worst part was that he probably felt honored to accept the job. She buried her head in her hands, and began sobbing quietly. Then, from around the corner, came Harry. He stopped suddenly, and turned to the corridor. He couldn't see very well in the dark, but he was able to make out a figure sitting in the corner.

"Lixella?" he asked, "are you crying? What's wrong?"

Lixella held her breath for a second. Why was he here?

"Yes…I'm crying. I just overheard something terrible." she exclaimed

"Ah! So you heard that conversation too?" Harry sat next to her.

"yes, it's horrible! He's a death eater" she said, "isn't he, Harry?"

"Well, that pretty much proved it, I suppose!"

"Oh god!" Lixella started sobbing again, "what do you think he's been assigned to do? It must be something awful!"

"Hey, why are you so unhappy? I thought you hated him?" Harry asked.

"Look…" Lixella lifted her head and dropped her shoulders, "we've been friends since we were little. I can't remember much from then. I just know that he shouldn't be doing this, ya know? I just, I care…he can do better than working for Voldemort as a death eater!"

"yeah…" Harry said awkwardly

"I mean, he just has this passionate need to prove himself to someone. It's so annoyingly terrible. He wants it so badly, that he's willing to do Voldemort's dirty work to get it! That's how he controls all of them, Harry."

"how?"

"By using them, making them want his approval! He takes people who want someone to praise them, and offers them that chance, for a terrible price. He's a sick, sick man…..not to mention I bet he's freakishly scary in person!"

"Oh…he is, _trust_ me!" Harry said, remembering his encounters with Voldemort. This remark cause Lixella to bury her head back in her hands. Harry sat there with her for a second, trying to figure out what Draco was plotting. Also, what he'd done to make Lixella so unhappy at the current news. When he'd first met her, she seemed to care less about what Draco did, now she was sobbing for him. Harry wished he knew why she had such a sudden change of heart.

"I'm sorry…it's probably really weird seeing me like this." she said, "I mean, you're so used to the me that bickers with him, and keeps him in check. This must be weird for you."

"Yeah, it is." he stated plainly, "but, I've seen stranger things."

"I bet, if you hadn't then I wouldn't think you were Harry Potter."

He laughed, "I don't like being famous though, ya know?"

"Well, yeah….I mean the paper is always lying about you, Harry. I would've beaten someone in by now."

"Trust me, I would like to…especially with all of this, _chosen-one_ business."

He got up, and offered a hand to Lixella. She smiled and grabbed it, he helped her up. She wiped the tears from her face, and they both walked back down the hallway together. Harry had to get back to his party, he didn't want to leave Luna there.

Lixella headed back to the Slytherin dorm. When she arrived there, she found Draco sitting on a couch, staring at the floor. He looked worried, and sick. He had gotten a lot paler since she had last seen him, and his eyes looked deathly tired. He looked up at her, unable to find words to say.

"Look…I don't know what you are planning to do" she started, "but just know, that I'm scared for you. You need to be careful!"

"God, will everyone stop worrying about me" he stated unpleasantly, "I can do this myself!"

"Do what, Draco?" she asked, "what do you have to do?"

"None of your business, Cruxshade" he spat

"It's getting you in a lot of trouble, Draco!" she snapped, "My job is to keep you out of trouble."

"Oh yeah? Well, good job on being there from age 10 to now! Really? I've shaped up quite a lot thanks to your helpful guidance. You mind telling me why you can't remember anything, Lixella? Anything other than leaving my house that one summer?"

"You know darn well that I cannot answer that" she said.

"oh really? You sure? Do you even know _anything_ about yourself, Lixella. Who you are?" She averted her gaze from him. "You're really bloody important, I'll tell you that. You think all of the strange things happening to you this year are just coincidence? You are the one who needs looking out for! At least I know what I'm doing, you don't have the slightest clue what's in store for you!"

"I….wait, in store for me?" she asked

"yeah, you'd better be careful this winter break. _He _knows about you!" said Draco, "and he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants from you. You need protecting, Lixella, and no one is going to give it to you, because no one can protect you from _him_!"

Draco plopped down onto the couch, "not even me. I can't even protect you from _him_." He began staring at the floor again. Lixella sat down next to him, her eyes were wide with shock. He looked over at her, and sighed heavily. "He knows what you're capable of, now. He's known for quite a bit. That's why he sent your parents to the ministry, he knew they wouldn't return, forcing you to move to England, and end up here."

Lixella didn't know what to say. He seemed to sincerely care about what was going to happen to her. She moved closer to him on the couch, and put her head on his shoulder. He was warm, and smelled like fresh forest air.

"what do I do?" she asked, staring at the wall across the room.

"There's nothing you _can_ do. He's got you, right where he wants you. But, it'll be okay, I'll be there with you. We're going to get through this."

He kissed her lightly on the top of her head, which was on his shoulder. She scooted closer to him, and buried her face into his chest. Lixella didn't know what she was in for, but at least she had help. At least she had Draco.

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><p>Woohoo...chapter 11 is complete! I hope you liked it...it should clear up a few things before i get into winter break!<p>

Thanks for reading, and I will see you next time in chapter 12!

Thanks for reading ^_^


	13. Parchment 12: A Third Bedroom

CHapter 12 has arrived! It's a bit shorter than what I've been writing, but it still has enough in it!

thank you to Watergoddesskay, indigofrisbee, and xXMizz Alex VolturiXx for their reviews on chapter 11 ^_^

and also thanks to SilhouetteGypsy for adding this to her favorite story list ^_^

Read and Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 12: A Third bedroom

Lixella stood staring at the large stone entrance. The doorway was tall and arched, with dark wood, double doors. It gave off a sense of regality and authority. It had started snowing, the white flakes danced and spun to the sounds of the ticking clock tower. She breathed in a heavy sigh. The cold winter air filled her lungs, the air was thin and cold, it dried her throat. The air around her pricked at the skin on her face. Her eyes fell down, she was done admiring Hogwarts. She was scared that it would be her last glance of it. Winter break had begun, and in a few moments she would be heading down to the Hogsmeade station, on her way home. It was almost depressing, the fact that she _knew_ that, at some point this winter, she would meet Voldemort. It was even more depressing for her to think that she couldn't avoid it.

She breathed the air in one last time, smelling the cold and evergreen. Then, she turned around, luggage in hand, and headed out towards the station. Jynx ran up behind her.

"Oi! Ya tryin' to avoid me or something?" she said sarcastically

"No….just a bit unhappy"

"Why, it's gonna be Christmas soon! Ya should cheer up? Wha's there to be sad about?"

"I'll just really miss it here! And you!" She smiled

"Tha's sweet!"

They arrived at the station, and watched the kids, loading their luggage and boarding the train. Jynx waved over to Luna and Neville, who were heading into a train car. Lixella was admiring the white smoke, billowing out of the front of the train, as if it was creating clouds. She turned to see Draco, standing across the station. He turned his head and nodded at her. His expression was sincere, and a bit apologetic. Since the night he told her about Voldemort, they had become a lot closer. He seemed to be hell bent on getting her through it all. In fact just last week, he began 'schooling' her on what he liked to call, "proper death eater etiquette".

"No…you never, ever make eye contact. With anyone! Just stare in one direction, but don't act terrified." he said sternly.

"well, I figured. But what about my uncle?"

"Not even him, when you are a death eater you do not have a family. He may ask you to torture someone, if he questions your loyalty."

"Jesus Christ! This guy sounds just _awful_!" she said with a grin.

"Well, of course he is, Lixella" Draco chuckled, shaking his head at her awful placement of humor, "That's kind of why no one wants to utter his name!"

"Sorry" she muttered, "I know I need to act more serious about this…"

"Yeah, that could help a bit"

"It's just….I'm going to be a death eater…against my will! And now I have to learn how to survive, in a place I don't want to be in. Can't I just stay here?"

"heh" he laughed, "If only…if only."

A smile crept over Lixella's face. She would _really_ miss Hogwarts, it was such a safe haven for her. It had become like a home to her, considering that she did not like her relatives. She and Jynx, finally, boarded the train and made their way down the train cars. They did not want to be sitting in the Slytherin 6th year car, since they despised most of the people there. Eventually they found Neville and Luna, and sat with them.

"This year's been pretty tough so far" said Neville. They had started on the topic of N.E.W.T.s, and whether or not they would all pass them.

"Well, I know one thing is for sure. I'm going to have to start pulling all nighters for potions. I am terrible in that class." said Lixella.

"You should be askin' that Harry Potter. I 'ear he's pretty good." Jynx said, as she slid up against the window.

"Yeah, he's great at it!" Lixella replied.

"This semester has been rather complicated" Luna inquired, as she read the latest issue of _The Qubbler_, "but, also very interesting."

"Oh yeah, it's wintah! 'ave you met that boy yet?" Jynx asked Lixella with excitement.

"Okay, for the triple umpteenth time….Professor never said _he_, specifically. She just said, "someone very important is about to enter your life."

"I still think it's a guy" Jynx went back to staring out the window.

"Maybe it's not even a person!" said Neville

"Oh, my god" said Lixella in shock

"What?" asked Jynx

"I think I've already met them" said Lixella, thinking back to the banshees in the forest.

"Really, man or woman?" Jynx said anxiously awaiting her reply.

"_They_ were all _women_!" Lixella said

"5 sickles Jynx!" said Luna without peering up from _The Quibbler._ Jynx handed her 5 sickles, and sat back in annoyance.

Lixella told them about the banshees in the forest. About, how they had said it was necessary that she learn of them before winter break. However, she was unsure that these were the people in the prophecy, since it spoke of only _one_ person. Nonetheless, her friends were shocked at her story. Jynx swore that she must've been bewitched and imagined it all. Luna completely believed her. Neville just sat with wide eyes, in disbelief that her story was true. Eventually, their train reached Kingscross station. Lixella gathered her belongings and said good bye to her friends. She urged them to write to her this winter, and not leave her out of anything.

However, when she reached the outside, her aunt was not to be found. She searched around for her uncle Zander, he wasn't there either. She could've sworn that the letters said to meet them out at the front, by the lobby. She searched her memory for anything to tell her otherwise.

"Lixella, why are you over there?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned around to find Narcissa Malfoy waving at her from a few feet away. She stared at her, very confused.

"Oh hello Mrs. Malfoy" she said, curtsying. She hated that she curtsied, her grandmother had conditioned her to. "Have you seen my aunt Iris, or my uncle Zander?" she asked, looking around.

"They didn't tell you?" Lixella shook her head, "Oh dear, they're at the ministry….waiting for a trial."

"What? Are they okay?" Lixella asked in shock

"Well, the ministry has put out a warrant to search the house. They believe the your uncle is a death eater, and that he is hiding some great dark weapon."

"But…we have _nothing_ in that house. Who would've tipped them off?"

"Probably the order, they can't seem to keep their noses out of other people's business." Narcissa's face became disgusted as she remembered having her own house searched. Lixella doubted that it was the order, since she was such good friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Then again, the three of them didn't know her aunt or uncle.

"Anyways," said Narcissa, coming back from memory lane, "your aunt asked if we could take you home with us. I said we were more than delighted to have you come along!"

"That is very nice of you Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you."

"It's no problem." she smiled, "We just have to wait on Draco now. Lord knows where he's at. It seems to take him forever to make his way across the station. Here, come into the car, it's much warmer!"

Narcissa led her over to a very nice black car. It was beautiful. It resembled an old ford v8 model. The interior was white leather, and the back was quite spacious. Lixella leaned in carefully, the car reminded her of when she was young. Her grandmother used to teach her a lot of etiquette. Aside form curtsying she also knew arranging, decorating, table manners, ballroom dancing, tea sipping, and how to get into a car properly. Her grandmother would always say, "You never, ever, slide into a nice vehicle. You duck and glide."

The driver came around to the side and took her bags. Narcissa waved at a very lost looking Draco. He walked over, and gave his mother a hug. The driver took his bags, and put them in the trunk, then opened the door again for the two of them. Draco ducked into the car, and laughed upon seeing Lixella.

"you…you would be here." he exclaimed.

"apparently my aunt and uncle are at the ministry, facing a trial" she said, looking down.

"oh, wow…it's okay, I don't think they'll find anything. I mean it's just your uncle that's a death eater isn't it?"

"Yeah, but he's there, nonetheless"

"I'm sorry…they'll be okay." he said and hugged her. They left Kingscross station, and headed off towards Malfoy manor. Lixella stared out the window, she'd never really seen the country side of England, on the ground, since her aunt preferred to travel by flying carriage. It was lovely, the trees passed by her window, masking the sunlight. The roadways were small and winding.

"I think my dad owned a car like this one" she mentioned.

"Oh? Does he?" Narcissa said curiously.

"Well, it looks like this one. It's actually a shadow car. He drives it at night to avoid muggles. It can camouflage itself into the darkness."

"I've heard of those, they're very rare, and cost quite a bit."

"My dad had a love for cars. They were a passion of his. We have a full garage of them underneath our house, in America." Lixella remembered the many summers they had spent going out on drives through the city. Her dad was a wonderful driver, and always kept his cars in top condition. She missed her dad so much, she would never spend another summer driving with him.

They arrived at Malfoy manor. Lixella exited the car and nearly gasped. The house was quite large, and lovely. The manor towered over her, she always thought that Cruxshade manor was large, but it didn't have the vertical extreme that this house had. The house was one large square. Like the Cruxshade manor, it was made of stone, but instead of being green, it was grey. The entrance was white marble, with large columns. Lixella could not believe that she had forgotten what this house looked like.

"Bring back any memories?" Draco asked as he stood next to her, "You actually spent quite a few summers here when you were younger. It's a real shame that you can't remember any of them."

"I can remember that one. It's the only memory I have" she said as they headed inside.

"That was the last time I ever saw you." he said, "well, until this year, of course."

"strange huh? To think that the only memory I can recover is leaving your house, that last time."

The inside was just as dazzling. The floors were black and white tiled, with a large staircase against the right wall. It had high ceilings, and many doors. Just as they entered, Narcissa came rushing out of the study, on the left. She was walking with a piece of parchment in one hand, looking very worried. She stopped in front of Lixella and Draco.

"I have bad news" she said with a heavy sigh, "you're uncle…"

"Oh god! He's in Azkaban…" Lixella covered her mouth anxiously.

"No…they're putting him under surveillance."

"Pardon? I've never heard of that before"

"It means they're putting _watchers_ in your house." Lixella looked at her confused.

"Watchers are like surveillance cameras, they allow the ministry to monitor a certain vicinity, for a set period of time." said Draco, "Basically they are watching your family, and what they do. It's a nasty thing to do to someone, invade their privacy."

"Anyways, your aunt isn't sure if she wants you there, while the watch is going on." Narcissa turned to Lixella, "She says that they may question you about your family, and your parents. Since they were suspected death eaters as well."

"Well, then where am I going? How long will this take?" Lixella asked.

"I told them that you could stay here." Narcissa said, "the watch should end sometime after Christmas."

"Oh, thank you!" Lixella said, "are you sure, I don't want to intrude!"

"No, it's fine. Your aunt was a great help to us when we were searched a few months ago, it's the least I can do. You'll have to go get your things, though, anything you don't want them messing with."

"Okay, thank you so much Mrs, Malfoy. This is so nice of you!"

"Like I said, it's not a problem. If we don't help each other, we'd all be sunk. Now, Draco, go take Lixella to her guestroom. I'd say the one two doors down from you."

Draco nodded, and they headed up the stairs. The room was a bit smaller than the one she had at Cruxshade manor. The walls were covered with dark blue textured wallpaper. There was a large window that overlooked the back of the house. On the windowsill, was a bench, adorned with black velvet curtains, and royal blue pillows. The bed was a queen size, cherry oakwood, with a royal blue silk comforter, and white pillows. There was a closet near the door, and another door next to that one, that lead to a bathroom.

"Wow, this is lovely." she said

"Yep, I'm right down the hall too. So, that's a perk" he said with a sly smile. Lixella elbowed him in the side. "What?" he said, "I think that living next to me should be a plus."

"Well, that's because you are full of it!" she exclaimed, sitting on the bed. She was unhappy that she was changing locations for the second time that year. This was her 3rd bedroom, not counting the Slytherin dorm. She couldn't believe that she had been pushed out of yet _another_ home. However, this time she was pushed out by the ministry, instead of her parent's death. The minister must be pretty unhappy with her uncle.

"I can't _believe_ that I'm getting pushed out of my house, for the second time this year!"

"Well," Draco said sitting next to her, "you _do _know why you are _really_ here for the winter, right?" Lixella stared at him for a bit.

"No!" she gasped, realizing why, "this can't be _his_ doing?"

"Open your eyes, Lixella" he said, brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes, "_everything_ up until now, and from now on, is _his _doing. He's got you trapped, right here at death eater headquarters. There's no _way_ that you can say no to him now."

Lixella stared at the ground. She couldn't believe that the past few events in her life had been planned by Voldemort, just to get her here. She had walked right into a trap, and was completely oblivious of it.

"I wish I wasn't me, right now." she said, burying her face in her hands.

"don't we _all_" said Draco, wrapping his arms around her. He hugged her tight, "he may have you marked by your first meeting."

"Oh boy….just what I wanted for Christmas!" she said, leaning in closer. "do you know when that is?" she asked hesitantly.

"Most likely in a few days. Once he knows that you're staying here, he'll have to come and brand you."

"So, does it hurt?" she asked

"Oh yeah!" he said, "like needles, just pricking you a hundred times in one spot!"

"Thanks for the description" she said sarcastically.

"Sorry"

The two of them sat there for a few hours. Draco tried to explain what meetings were like, and schooled her in more etiquette.

"Try not to scream, when he marks you. It's kind of degrading if you scream. Also, you have to address him as 'Lord', not 'sir'. He got pretty angry about that one time. He may also kill a few people during a gathering, so be prepared to see some awful things. He likes to 'set an example' for the rest of his followers. I won't lie, this isn't going to be pretty. Oh, and be careful what you say around my aunt Bellatrix, she's kind of in love with him."

"this sounds complicated. I have to be unafraid while cowering, I can't scream during painful things, and I may have to do something terrible to someone I care about. Why would _anyone_ want to be a death eater out of choice?"

"Approval, mostly. He takes people who are desperate for approval, and gives them someone who's approval they have to work at to earn. Everyone has their weaknesses, some more than others."

Lixella breathed in a heavy sigh. She was caught in a problem that was unfixable. She would just have to survive being here. It was terrifying, thinking that someone wanted to use the banshees through her. They wouldn't' be protected, like she promised. How could she protect them, her life had been planned since that awful summer of her childhood. She was always doomed to fail, but she refused to give up. She swore to herself that she would find a way out of this terrible mess. But, for now, she would just have to follow whatever Draco said, and get through the worst part. She scooted a little closer to him.

"It'll be okay." he said, and kissed her on the cheek.

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><p>On to chapter 13! it's an unlucky number, so I'll have something unlucky happen XD<p>

oh, just to warn you guys...my university will be starting back up from break soon! I'll still be updating, but it might not be every single night, so bare with me!

and thank you for all of the support to this point, this is my most reviewed, and best reviewed story!

see you soon! bye!


	14. Parchment 13: My Unlucky Father

Okay so this chapter was supposed to be where you meet voldemort!

however, I ended up typing 10 pages, so you'll see him next chapter! Wow, this story is really long you guys!

Anyways thanks to all of you guys for reading...and, enjoy the chapter ^_^

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 13: My Unlucky Father

Lixella woke one morning to something wonderful, silence. She was very happy to find out that, unlike her room at Cruxshade manor, this room had no birds outside of her window. This was nearly a blessing, since the birds caused her to lose a lot of sleep. However, she did not sleep much now a days. She only had nightmares, of wizards killing banshees. Needless to say, Lixella was quite sick of this. She climbed out of her bed, unaware of what time it was. She leaned over her trunk and took a few clothes out. She was just about to head out of the door, after getting ready, when she noticed something. Her bed was not made. She leaned over the covers, and began straightening them. Just as she did, there was a knock at the door.

"hey, do you have clothes on?" asked a familiar voice.

"Yes, Draco" Lixella scoffed.

He proceeded to enter the room, and waltz over to her. However, he paused abruptly when he noticed what she was doing.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked, referring to the bed making, "We have house elves for that"

"ugh" she said, rolling her eyes, "you know Draco, a bit of manual labor never killed anyone."

"But, you're a witch, why not just let something else make it for you?"

"Because, I messed up this bed, so I should make it pretty again!"

"That doesn't make any sense"

"It makes perfect sense"

"Why do that when you have magic?"

"Why do magic when you can just do it yourself?"

"Whatever" he rolled his eyes, "Look, you need to come downstairs. It's kind of urgent. My umm….my aunt is asking for you."

He looked around nervously, Lixella knew that this wouldn't be good. The two of them proceeded downstairs to a room that resembled a parlor. It was wide and tall, with large chairs, and a marble fireplace. However, the chairs had been cleared to the sides of the room. Again, she took this as another bad sign. At the end of the room stood Narcissa and a lady that Lixella took to be Draco's aunt. She was very much darker than her sister. Her hair was black, and wildly tumbled down her back. She wore a slim black dress, with terrible posture. She looked sincerely insane.

"Oh!" she started, her eyes getting wide, "is this her?"

She walked towards Lixella with a wonky sort of grace. "What's your name, Girl?" she asked, circling.

"Lixella Cruxshade, Ma'am" she said, conditionally curtsying.

"Don't call me ma'am….my name is Bellatrix!" she almost cackled. "Curtsying, eh? Very proper this one. A little lady, are you?"

"Umm…"

"oh well, whatever! You're the new meat! you know what that means?" she said, sinisterly walking around the room. Lixella shook her head. "It means that you need to be able to fight!" she came an inch away from Lixella's face. She could now see just how crazy Bellatrix's eyes were. "Well, are you going to pull your wand out? Or should I just shoot you?" With a single motion, Lixella had removed her wand from it's casing, and held it in a dueling stance. She was not going to lose her first fight with a death eater. Bellatrix practically hoped over to the other side of the room. Draco and Narcissa made sure to stay out of their way. Lixella kept her eyes on Bellatrix, she did not want to lose eye contact once. Her father had taught her how to duel, and he was brutal.

"Imper…." Bellatrix began to yell

"Stupify!" Lixella said hastily. A bolt of light shot from her wand, Bellatrix quickly defelcted. A sinister smile crept across her face.

"Quick girl…..but what about THIS!" she yelled and fire erupted everywhere.

"_Aguamente"_ Lixella thought in a split second. They stood there for a good minute, shooting water and fire at each other. The flames died down, as did the wave of water. Lixella began breathing pretty heavy, she was nervous. It had been a while since she'd seriously fought someone.

"Goodness! This girl know how to party!" Bellatrix gasped, "can you read minds though? When your out there, you could have any spell shot at you!" Her eyes became nearly deranged. Lixella didn't need to read anyone's mind to see what was coming next. She stood at guard, as Bellatrix shot a thousand different spells at her, from different angles. Most of them were non-verbal spells. Lixella fought as if her life depended on it. Bellatrix became unhappy, an impatient.

"Legilimens!" she shouted, Lixella nearly fell to the floor. Before her eyes she saw her parents. They were sitting on a couch, holding her infant self. Then, she was leaving Malfoy manor as a child. Next, she stood in the forest with the banshees, making her promise.

"Naughty naughty" Belltatrix said, as she walked up behind her. Lixella forced Bellatrix out of her mind. They both stumbled back a bit.

"That's private!" she shouted. _Petrificus totalus_, she thought as she cast her wand at an unsuspecting Bellatrix. She froze instantly, and fell to the ground. There was a long pause, Lixella stood there, staring across the room. When Narcissa realized that her sister was paralyzed, she ran over and muttered a counter curse. Bellatrix stood up, and marched over to Lixella. She pointed her wand to Lixella, who readied herself. Just as she got close, she vanished. With a loud pop, she reappeared behind Lixella.

"Cru…" she began shouting.

"Expeliarmus!" Lixella shouted, as she whirled around. The wand flew out of Bellatrix's hand. The two of them paused, staring at each other. Lixella kept her wand at the ready, just in case. Then, bellatrix began clapping.

"Very good, little Lixl!" she said, applauding her slowly, "it seems that this one can put up quite a fight! Who taught you?"

"my…dad, did" she replied.

"Ah! William! Willy, will, will, willy, William…..good spell caster! Not very lucky though" she said, "pity, he was always just a second off when it mattered. He…trusted people too much" she picked up her wand, and walked towards Lixella. "He always, let his guard down…when it mattered most! Crucio!" a bolt of red light shot out of her wand, and hit Lixella right in the stomach. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain. It was as if someone had taken a knife, and was repeatedly stabbing it through her. She screamed out in pain, unsure if anyone could actually hear her.

"aunt Bellatrix!" Draco shouted

"Bella!" shouted Narcissa.

She continued to laugh maniacally, as if possessed. Lixella just squirmed on the floor, reaching for something to hold on to. She found nothing but barren hard wood floor pane.

"Stop it!" Draco yelled at the top of his lungs. He removed his wand, and pointed it towards her intimidatingly. Bellatrix stopped, and stared wide eyed at her nephew, who had his wand nearly at her neck.

Lixella stopped shouting, she couldn't move because of the pain. She just lay there, on the floor, tears pouring from her eyes. Her heart was pounding, nearly exploding, as she tried to catch her breath. The air entered her lungs in short raspy gasps.

"Bella, she's just a young girl!" her sister spat, "we shouldn't be using those on her!"

"humph" Bellatrix scoffed, "The dark lord wouldn't have held back…" she waltzed over to Lixella, who was still unable to get up. Draco followed her hastily, and put an arm around Lixella.

"He'll be very happy with you!" she said, beaming at Lixella with insanity. She then got up, and skipped out of the room, humming something. Draco put his arm around her, and tried to pull her to her feet. Lixella stumbled as she tried to stand, but failed. She crashed back to the ground.

"I can't…I don't think I can get up" she said, weakly.

"It's okay….I've got you" he said, "put your arms around me" she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted up her legs, holding her up with both of his arms. She began breathing slowly, trying to calm her body down.

"I apologize for my sister" said Narcissa, summoning a couch from the wall, "she's a bit twisted."

Lixella clung tight to Draco, as he lowered her down onto the couch. "yeah…I got that" she said, nearly out of breath.

"you're still in shock….I'll go get something to help that" said Narcissa, and she headed out the door to find a tonic. Draco pulled a chair from against the wall, and sat next to her. He buried his face in his hands, sighing heavily. Lixella just sat on the couch, catching her breath.

"I failed" she said, after catching her breath, "if that had been a real battle, I would've died!"

" No, you did really good. Better than me, I got hit on like the 5th spell." he said, staring at the floor.

"But, if my dad had seen that…" she trailed off, "he would've….god, I dunno what he would've done!"

"beaten the living shit out of my aunt, that's what!" he said, "She didn't like him because he was better at dueling than her. My mother told me about them all the time."

"he would be so mad at me" she gulped, "for not blocking in time!" there was a reason that Lixella was amazing at defense against the dark arts. This was because her father would duel with her from age 6, if she lost, she faced the consequences, without question.

Narcissa came back with a bottle of nerve tonic and a house elf carrying a tray of tea behind her. She handed Lixella the tea cup, and put two drops of tonic in it. The tea turned bright red, and she drank it. In an instant, the potion spread through her body, relaxing her shocked nerves, and calming her down.

"Bellatrix says that he'll be coming here tonight" Narcissa stated, "you two should get prepared. Lixella, I'm not sure if Draco has told you, but the dark lord…"

"I know…" she said, staring at her cup, "he's been looking for me. Guess it's impossible to avoid him now." Her eyes shifted to Draco, who's face was still in his hands.

"She says he'll be here to test you" Narcissa put her cup down, and looked Lixella straight in the eyes, "If you aren't the person he is searching for, he will most likely kill you. I'm sorry, Lixella, I wish there was a way I could keep you out of all of this mess."

"Thank you Mrs. Malfoy" Lixella shifted her gaze to the corner, "but I think that this moment in time, was unavoidable. I'll have to face him sooner or later."

"It _is_ you! Trust me" Draco said, lifting his head up, "there won't _be_ any killing tonight. You're the one he's looking for."

Later that night, Lixella sat by the window, trying to savor her last moments of not being a death eater. She didn't know if it would happen tonight, but she was hoping it wouldn't. The moon was full that night, and she began thinking of sister Cordellia. There had to be a way to keep her promise to the banshees. She couldn't abandon them, to work for Voldemort.

The sound of people rushing in could suddenly be heard from downstairs. There were voices talking in hushed tones, and the shuffling of feet. This was it, Lixella had dressed in her black dress again, this might as well be her funeral. A knock sounded at her door, she knew it was Draco, so she just ushered him in.

"Ready?" he asked

"No….but I don't have a choice do I?" she said, scared.

They both walked downstairs to the dining room. Lixella prepared to face the dark lord himself, Voldemort.

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><p>To Voldemort! see you in chapter 14 ^_^<p> 


	15. Parchment 14: The Dark Lord's Mark

Chapter 14! Finally, Voldemort! I also split these up so you could have more to read when I'm at my university.

I go back to school tomorrow, so updates wont' be as frequent, but i swear I will finish this story!

I warn you though...It's going to be pretty long, we still have to get through semester 2

Thanks for reading you guys, this is the best review and support I've had for a story, ever!

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 14: The Dark Lord's Mark

Bellatrix stared at Lixella with an odd expression. Her face was twisted into this look of judgment and disgust. Her lips pouted outward and her mouth frowned. Her large eyes squinted with complete insanity as they looked over Lixella.

"Come on, Lixella." said Draco as he took a seat next to his mother. Suddenly, the room became quiet and everyone stared at her. Lixella had never had all eyes on her before, it was rather unpleasant. Bellatrix cleared her throat, and Lixella realized that the crowd was not staring at her.

"Miss Cruxshade" a smooth voice said from behind her. She turned as slowly as she could, not wanting to look behind her. When she stopped, she was facing a grey robe. She was able to look up at him, but unable to lift her head. So he did it for her. With the tip of his wand, Voldemort slowly lifted up Lixella's chin. She averted her gaze, figuring out what to do next. "Miss Cruxshade, how nice to _finally_ meet you" he said. Lixella stared back at him, his skin was as pale as the marble behind him.

"Good evening" she said, hiding fear. He lowered his wand and Lixella backed up and curtsied to him. His eyes squinted and the corners of his mouth turned upward into a devilish grin.

"And hello to all of you, my most…loyal…followers" he looked to Bellatrix, then peered at the Malfoys, "surely you are all aware of why I have called you here". He slithered around the room, making sure to comment on the people he passed. "I have called you all here because of…..her" he pointed a pale boney finger at Lixella. She put on a reserved face, biting back her nerves.

"I'm not sure if you all are aware of this. But this young lady, has evaded me for quite some time, now." his voice almost creped up her spine, he was even cold from a distance, "Every time I would try to get to her, she would slip just out of my grasp. So, I had to come up with a more, elaborate, plan this time. Are you aware of why I have brought you here, Lixella?"

"HE SAID TALK! You filthy little.."

"No, Bellatrix!….let Lixella speak!" Voldemort silenced her, "Go on Miss. Cruxshade!"

"Does it have something to do with my memories?" she asked hastily.

"that's right! Your precious…precious, lost memories."

"The ones from my childhood?"

"Yes, do you know why you can't remember anything, Lixella?"

She shook her head.

"because, they made you forget" Voldemort said, "they wiped your memory of your childhood. But I, dear Lixella, found it."

His pale eyes became slits. He snatched his hand away from Lixella's face, scraping her cheek. Voldemort walked around the long table and took his seat at the end, once more. He sat straight up, staring at Lixella. She was not sure what to do.

"Ever wonder why your eyes are purple?" he yelled, "it's not from your grandmother, like they told you. They're purple because as a child you were kidnapped, and experimented on."

"Ho-how do you know that?" Lixella asked.

"A pensive Miss Cruxshade. When the kidnappers removed your memories they put them in flasks and saved them in a secret pensive!" Voldemort's eyes grew wide, "you really DON'T remember! Perhaps you aren't even the girl I'm looking for?" He stared at her diligently, with a hand on his cheek. A tangle of nerves rushed through her. She realized that she would have to prove herself, in order to live.

"I have prepared something" he said, and summoned two men out. They were wheeling in a chest. It was made of iron, and had many locks. "You must show me that you can communicate with this creature. Otherwise, I'll never believe you!" he said.

With a wave of his hand, the chest flew open. A white woman with graceful posture, and black eyes, rose out of the chest. She stared at Lixella for a bit, before shifting her gaze to the rest of the room. She was uncomfortable, and very scared.

"If you are, who I think you are, then the cry of a banshee in pain, shouldn't kill you. However, for _us_ it would be fatal, to _you_ it will be just a cry of sheer pain and agony!" He flicked his wand, and everyone placed their hands over their ears. However, he bound Lixella's hands behind her back. The two men, wearing silencer hats, began torturing the banshee with the cruciatus curse.

The banshee began crying out in agony. Her screeching went from low, to impossibly high pitched. Everyone in the room either winced, or closed their eyes shut. Lixella's eyes began to water from the noise. Then, she realized that, not only could she hear it, she could feel the pain. Lixella felt the stabbing sensation again. She stared at the banshee, screeching in fear, and tears formed in her eyes. This creature was being tortured for her, and she couldn't stop it. Suddenly, Lixella began to screech herself. Her voice went into a high pitched note, that was raspy and jagged.

Then, it all stopped at once. Everyone took their hands off of their ears, and stared at Lixella and the banshee. The both of them had fallen to the floor, Lixella on her knees, in sheer agony. She was crying, because she could still feel the banshee's pain. The white woman store up at her with weak black eyes. Lixella whispered, "I'm so sorry"

The attention in the room then changed to Voldemort. He was sitting in his chair, looking at Lixella with pride, but also with doubt.

"How did it feel, Lixella?" he asked, coldly, "You survived the screech, but how did it feel?"

Lixella remained silent, she was fixated on the banshee in front of her, who was near death.

"How did it feel!" he screamed. A jolt of adrenaline shot through her spine, and up to her mouth.

"Painful!" she shouted at him, "It was painful….because, I could feel her being tortured. Being stabbed!"

Voldemort grinned, he knew that he had found the right girl. He looked over to Draco, and motioned for him to go help Lixella up.

Draco ran over to her, he held her up by her arm. She couldn't stand on her own, so she had to lean on him. She could distantly hear clapping, from the end of the table.

"Wonderful….simply, spectacular" said Voldemort with a grin, "someone…get rid of that…that THING!"

The two men then stuffed the banshee back in the chest. Lixella wanted to free her, but knew that it was hopeless. Voldemort slowly rose out of his chair, and glided over to Lixella and Draco. She could barely hear anything because of the banshee cry. She was also pretty weak from the pain, but she saw Voldemort remove his wand.

"I think, it's about time….that you joined us, Miss Cruxshade" he peered over to Draco, "give me her arm Draco, I think Lixella would like to receive my gift for her now!"

Draco closed his eyes and exhaled uncomfortably. The last person he cared about, that hadn't been taken over by Voldemort, was about to be taken from him. He unwrapped Lixella's left arm from his shoulder, and presented it to Voldemort. He then moved over to her right side, to help her stand."It's okay" Draco whispered to her, "it's okay"

The pain shot up Lixella's arm and out to her entire body. It was as if someone was ripping her apart cell by cell. She bit back a scream, feeling her face turning red. Her right hand grabbed onto Draco's left arm, he held onto it. Lightning and needles were all she could imagine. She could feel her face turning red from her suppressed screams. Her knees were growing weaker, but Draco wouldn't let her fall down. Finally Voldemort stopped, and backed up to look at his work.

"Always fun.." he said, staring at Lixella's beaten form. He turned to the table of people, "Welcome our new death eater, Lixella Willow Cruxshade". Lixella thought she could hear clapping from the death eaters at the table.

It became silent as she fell to the ground. Her vision blurred, and her grip on Draco became weak. Lixella fell to the ground, completely blacked out from the intense pain, and lack of energy. Draco managed to catch her, before she hit the floor. Voldemort turned to him, "well…she doesn't look so good. Take her away, Draco. We'll be needing her later"

He picked her up and carried her out of the room. In the distance he could hear Voldemort questioning Bellatrix about their duel earlier.

He took her into her guestroom and laid her down on the bed. He walked over to the bathroom and removed a bottle of "essence of dittany", to help with the scaring. He remembered when his mother had to do all of this for him when he received his dark mark. He knew that she'd be out for only a little while, maybe 10-15 minutes at most. Draco wasn't sure if everyone would be gone by then, so he decided to stay upstairs.

"ya didn't know what you were getting yourself into…huh?" he asked to her sleeping form.

He looked at her and sighed. He had met her as a kid, and known her for a semester in school. Yet, he couldn't help but feel like they were supposed to be popping up in each others lives. He enjoyed her company, but he would deny it at all costs. Her sense of humor was terrible because it involved picking on him.

He kind of liked that she was able to do that. She didn't swoon over him, nor did she desperately despise him. She just, got to him. They both got to each other. They both needed someone to taunt, and to fight with. Both of their lives were so fucked up, and there was no one to yell at. So, they yelled at each other, over petty things like nationality. If she left, then he would have to go back to holding it all in. Even his parents didn't do that. They fought with each other, all the time. They didn't mean it, but they needed the outlet.

Lixella always came when he needed to meet her. She was strangely always there when he needed someone to yell at, in life. She moved slightly and began muttering something about banshees. Draco sat up and turned the lamp light down.

"Dra-co" she whispered inaudibly. He wasn't sure if he had heard that at all, "he-l". Hell? Was she dreaming about hell?

"bloody hell, what's wrong?" he whispered in a worried tone

"hel-p….me" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"me?" Draco looked at her with a squinted eyes. He thought he'd heard his name, but he wasn't sure of it. He stayed in the chair by the bed for a good 30 minutes. Every few seconds Lixella would begin mumbling about something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Every 5 minutes he would apply another swipe of dittany onto the dark mark. However, at around 25 minutes, he fell asleep with his mouth hanging open. His head was tilted onto the back of the chair, and he was snoring a bit. After a few minutes, he awoke to a loud thump. He shot up in his chair, with his hand over his wand. He looked to the bed, and found that Lixella wasn't there. She had fallen onto the floor, after having a fit in her sleep.

"dear god, woman! You can't even sleep like a normal being" he said rolling his eyes. Draco got up and knelt down to pick Lixella up off of the floor.

"well god! It's not like I planned to fall off of the bed" she yanked her arm away from his grip. She stood up quickly, only to wobble back onto the bed. "Jesus, what happened?" she asked, half awake.

"You fainted because of your dar…" suddenly Lixella screamed and fell onto the pillow in pain.

"MY ARM!" she yelled as she pulled up her sleeve. Her eyes almost fell out of her skull as she stared at the marking, "HOLY HELL! MY ARM!".

"it's okay…lixella…"he watched her rummage around in the bed, shocked at the marking and upset. "Lixella!" he snapped. She turned to him with large eyes, "Lixella, it's okay…it's over, It's okay" he stated with a concerned look. "Look, I have one too" he lifted his sleeve, "it means that you're safe now, I can protect you".

Lixella stared at him for what seemed like forever, then, tears appeared. She didn't start crying, but she couldn't hold back tears. He got up from the chair, and sat next to her on the bed. He wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her into him.

"I don't…want this" she said, "I never…ever…wanted this"

"yeah, I know…but, he likes you" Draco stated, "you're a new weapon. So, you can't leave."

She sat up and put her arm next to his. He was right, they were exactly the same. Neither of them could ever leave. Both of them were stuck there for reasons beyond their control. She was a death eater, or at least branded into the cult. She was no longer a person, she was a weapon. Lixella laid her head on Draco's shoulder. He smelled like oak trees, and men's soap. She was still crying.

"I'll have to hold my kid with this arm one day" she stated as her tears hit the shoulder of his suit.

"yeah" he replied, "me too"

They sat, in silence, staring at their marks of fate. The silence was peaceful, and lasted for several minutes. It seemed like several hours. The two of them had to find a way to survive. They had to fight, for and against each other.

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><p>So, Voldemort is always a fun guy to write...I like Bellatrix more, though!<p>

anyhow, thanks for reading my last chapter of winter break...i'll update soon, I promise!

Have a great spring semester everyone ^_^ and thanks for being so supportive!


	16. Parchment 15: Dementors

Dear lord! you guys this chapter took so long, i am so sorry about that!

School just started back, but I'm getting the hang of my schedule!

Anyways I want to send a special thanks to DizzyPottter, who has reviewed EVERY chapter, in about the course fo four days! Thanks for the support!

So read on and Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 15: Dementors

Christmas time, in muggle life, is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. There's supposed to be singing, presents, and twinkling lights. Everyone is supposed to sit around a giant decorated tree, and read the cliché Christmas books, with carols in the background. Families are supposed to be together, and happy. Draco never really had a perfect Christmas. There were a few good ones, when he was younger. However, most of them involved the same high society standards. Carrying himself in the same way, as if he deserved more.

He stared out of his bathroom window, watching the new snow fall in the morning sun. There was a strange sort of silence to snow. People always said it was, peaceful, or pure. He always just saw it as snow. It was bright, cold, and wet. And, though he would deny it, there was something almost magical to it. The way that the snow twirled almost weightlessly, put him in a trance. Reminding him of how the events up until now, had only become more complicated.

When he accepted the challenge of murdering Dumbledore, he did it to prove himself. It has, sincerely, proven to be more on his soul than he thought. On top of it all, his father was in prison, his mother was going mad with worry, and the last person he cared about, had become a pawn of Voldemort. Truly, this Christmas, would not be a normal one. He couldn't think of what was worse, here, or Hogwarts. There seemed to be no safe haven for him, or his thoughts.

He was suddenly interrupted by a loud thud on his bedroom window. Upon further inspection, he found a circle of powdery snow upon his window pane. With a small click, the window was opened. He peered his head outside, and began observing the scene. It was silent, the only noise was that of a bird singing a few miles away. Then, as if conjured from nothing, a snowball flew across the horizon, and hit him square on the cheek.

"Haha, good morning!" yelled Lixella as she glided towards the open window. She was hovering outside, on her Dawndrifter2005.

"Jesus! You know most people just knock!" he shouted to her, wiping cold water off his face.

"Yeah….but this is much more entertaining"

"Is this how you wake everyone up?"

"No" she glided towards him, "just you"

"Oh…so I'm special huh?"

She smirked, and kicked the wall next to his window. A flood of powdery snow, slid off of his rooftop, and landed on top of his head. Lixella just sat on her broom, hovering in mid air, and began laughing at him. He quickly closed his window, rushed downstairs, and retrieved his Nimbus 2001.

"Oh, you gonna try and catch me?" Lixella taunted as he opened the door, "good luck, I'm the best flyer in Lunareth!"

She darted off, with ridiculous speed. Draco followed quickly after her. Up ahead, she was laughing, almost maniacally, at his distance behind her. They darted over the trees, and flew quite a ways away from the house. He caught up to her pretty quickly.

"you think that's fast" he smirked as he flew along side her, "humph!"

He darted down into the forest, Lixella followed behind him. They began swerving through the branches. He decided to take it one step further, and flew down even lower, almost touching the ground. She looked down at him with a sour face, and nose dived to his level. They both took a sharp left turn, and she came dangerously close. She flew almost up against him, and touched his shoulder.

"Tag, you're it!" she said, and she shot 90 degrees into the air. Draco, who was still on the ground, looked around in confusion for a second, then shot straight up as well. They ascended higher and higher, up into the snowy clouds. It became so cold that Draco noticed his broom handle had begun freezing. But, Lixella was ascending higher, laughing the whole way up. She disappeared above a snow cloud. Draco stopped for a second, pondering if he should keep going. Then, he noticed that her laughing had stopped. Either she'd gotten so high that she couldn't breath, or something unnatural had stopped her.

He clutched onto his broom, and sped up above the snow cloud. When he finally reached the surface, he found something gruesome. A whole murder of dementors were sailing around. There had to be thousands of them. The air was dry and cold, it nearly sucked the life right out of him. He peered around, trying to avoid the dementors gazes, when he found Lixella. She was flying pretty quickly, fighting off a dementors that had caught her.

"stupefy" she shouted, as she threw spell after spell towards the dementor.

Draco sped after them, he was not going to let Lixella lose her soul. After everything that had already happened, it was all she had left. He came up behind the dementor, and quickly removed his wand.

"Expecto patronum!" he shouted. It was challenging, because he had never produced a full patronus before. A white shimmering light, slithered it's way towards the dementor. He couldn't tell what it was, but it was something. The shield, however, didn't last long, and the dementor spun around and went after him.

Draco had no time to escape, within a second, the dementor had caught him. He heard a loud shrill screech, and all he could feel was numbing cold. An array of terrible memories flashed before his eyes, from his father being thrown in prison, to the bird dying in the vanishing cabinet.

Suddenly, he heard a cry from a distance. Then, a strange creature ran in-between them. It resembled a gryphon, but it had the head of an owl. He'd never seen anything like it. It threw the dementor a few feet away. Draco had a terrible ringing in his ears, and then he fainted. He fell off of his broomstick and began falling towards the ground, with great speed. Lixella, who was concentrating on the dementor, noticed that he had disappeared. She stopped her patronus charm, and raced down towards him.

He opened his heavy eyelids, and almost screamed. His broomstick was miles above him, falling as well. Then, Lixella showed up next to him, and ducked down to gain more speed. He caught on to the back of her broom, and she reached out a hand to help him up. He hoisted himself up, but the dementor had begun chasing them again. Draco tried his hardest to keep it away from them both, but he could only conjure so many patronuses.

"It's not working" he said, firing a stupefy charm, "what should we do?"

"I dunno!" she said, as she descended into the forest. They began twisting through the branches again. Until, she crashed into one of them. The two of them ended up on the ground. He fumbled around for his wand, and noticed that Lixella had been knocked out by the crash. Then, four dementors swooped down, and began feeding on Lixella.

Draco tried using everything, but he couldn't keep them all away at once. It was hopeless, they were going to lose their souls right then, and there. Suddenly, a shining white being appeared. It was a banshee, the one that he had seen in the forbidden forest. She swooped over to the four dementors, and let out a high pitched screech. The vibration of her voice was so massive, that the dementors couldn't handle it, and quickly fled.

"_Nee Chyaa Rhiem Crushii"_ she said, in a raspy voice.

"I…I can't understand you" he said, quite truthfully. The banshee leaned down towards Lixella, and held her hands over her torso.

"_Ryii nyim Chariumm"_ she chanted. Lixella slowly opened her eyes. She shot up, and proceeded to hug the banshee.

"Cordellia!" she said, "I can't believe you saved us….oh, god! Where's Draco?"

Cordellia pointed a white finger behind her. Lixella turned around, and ran over to him.

"Holy hell! Did it get you too?" she said, as she nearly tackled him to the ground with a hug.

"No" he said, slightly out of breath, "just really weak is all. Who is that?"

"Oh…Draco, I want you to meet Cordellia. She's sort of my mentor."

The banshee smiled at him, and bowed her head. She glided over towards them. Cordellia muttered something in her native language.

"She says 'it's nice to meet you', she's met you before ya know?" said Lixella

"You can understand her?" he asked

"Yeah, I was one in a past life. I'm um….I'm the reincarnation of their….of their queen."

Draco's mouth dropped almost to the ground. He understood now, just why Voldemort wanted her as a death eater. He buried his face in his hands. Cordellia looked at Lixella, confused.

"_He didn't know_" she told Cordellia

"_Well, it's good to know that you've figured it out_" said Cordellia, "_ Now, I can further teach you, of your past_"

Suddenly a loud screech was heard from a distance.

"_That's sister Lacy!"_ she began heading away, _"I have to go now…meet me outside of the forest, in front of the manor, when the moon reaches the top of the sky!" _

Lixella nodded, and Cordellia disappeared into the woods. She turned back to Draco, whose expression was beyond confused. He hadn't understood a word of what they'd just said.

"Why is she here?" he asked, "doesn't she live near Hogwarts? And what do you mean reincarnation? And what the _bloody hell_ were you two screeching to each other?"

"Hrm" Lixella sighed, "I'll explain everything on the way back. We have to find your broom, before the dementors figure out we aren't protected anymore"

They ended up finding Draco's broom, a few feet from their crash site. Lixella's broom had minor damages on them, nothing that a broom shop couldn't fix. On the way back, she explained the full experience she'd had in the forbidden forest, on the night of the dance. She also told him about her research, and how she'd found out about the deal between the banshees and her family.

"So, your family never murdered them for their powers?" he asked

"No" she said, staring at the ground, "They absorbed the powers so that they could harbor them through generations. Then, when Aileen would be reincarnated, she would have her banshee magic. My family killed them to save them, not because they were evil."

"Bloody hell!" he whispered, "and Voldemort thinks you're some kind of dark weapon!"

Lixella stopped in her tracks. She looked up at him, with serious eyes.

"I will _never_ use these banshees for that terrible man's thirst for power!" she said forcefully. "I_ swear_ that I will find a way out of this! Even if it kills me."

"You can't be serious?" he asked, with a nervous laugh, "You can't face Voldemort….he's not yours to face!"

"I don't want to kill him" she said, "I'll leave that to Harry, but I _have_ to stop him!"

"You'd better have some amazing plan, Lixella. He's not exactly a weakling. He'll have back up too."

"I know…" she said, staring at the ground again, "but, I can't just step aside, I'm not that kind of person. No matter how much he wants me to be that person, I refuse to."

He couldn't believe her. She had been plotting against Voldemort this whole time. He'd never known anyone to try their hand at running away. Well, he'd known several people, but they'd failed, and they were killed. She was serious about this. Draco found it hard to accept, but Lixella was much more courageous than she made herself out to be. She'd been taking on all of this responsibility, of raising the banshees, fighting off Voldemort, and coping with it all. And, she'd done it without question.

"You" he said, "you should've been in Gryffindor"

"Eh" she stated plainly, "I was shooting for Ravenclaw. But, I will say…..Slytherin is pretty fun!"

The two of them had reached the manor. They went inside and placed their brooms back in their closets. It was around 2 o'clock at this point.

"I'm freezing! I think my feet are numb.." Lixella said, removing her riding boots.

"Hey, come in here" Draco peered out of the dining room, "It's really great!"

She walked into the dining room, and gasped. The whole place had been decorated with holly and garland. The best part, however, was the table full of food. Hot dishes covered the table, giving off a mouth watering aroma.

"Why is there so much?" she asked

"I guess they put it out for lunch, but no one's touched it" he said, sitting down. Lixella stomach began growling. She sat down too, and began fixing herself a plate. The two of them sat there, not saying anything, just eating.

"Ugh…" sighed a voice from the corner, it was Narcissa, her head in her hands, "you two would find the food first. Draco, what did I tell you about eating before you are told it is time!" She scolded him.

"Sorry, we uh" he stuttered.

"We got attacked by dementors" Lixella stated plainly.

"You what?" Narcissa shouted, "What were you doing around dementors?"

"Umm…chasing, each other" continued Draco, "On….our brooms"

"Bloody hell…" Narcissa closed her eyes and sighed heavily, "did you think that was a good idea?"

"Well.." said Lixella, "it was only, one"

"no….it was four" Draco said, Lixella elbowed him in the rib cage.

"You two, you will be the death of me!" she stated, and sat down in one of the chairs. The room became awkwardly silent for a few seconds. Lixella despised silence, so she tried to change the subject.

"So.." she started, "why do you have all of this food out?"

Narcissa lifted her head up, after dropping it onto the table.

"It's for the Christmas party. We have one every year. And I was about to go get you two, so we could go shopping for presents."

Lixella nearly jumped out of her seat. This was one of the first good things to happen in a long time. She loved present shopping, and Christmas parties. She could not wait to go buy gifts for everyone.

"Oh!" she said excited, "I would love to go shopping!"

"Yeah…" said Draco, sarcastically, "sounds great…just what I wanted to do today"

"Draco, as if you have anything better to do!" snapped narcissa, "Well, then you two go put on something, umm, dry, and I will be waiting for you downstairs. I'll give you, let's say, half an hour."

"Yes!" Lixella rushed out of the dining room door, and headed upstairs.

"Draco" said Narcissa

"Yeah….I'm goin'!" he stated, rolling his eyes, and slowly got up to leave.

After half an hour, they headed out towards the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley had not changed since Lixella was last there. In fact, it had become even worse. She could've sworn that there were at least three more shops open when she was shopping for school supplies.

Nonetheless, she was happy to be buying gifts. She bought two books, one for Luna called, "The Strange and the Stranger", about odd animal sightings. One for Hermione called, "Trying to Survive Wizard Stupidity", which was about surviving stupid people, mostly guys. For Neville, she got an everlasting cherry bonzai tree, exclusively from Japan. For Jynx and Ron she purchased identical pranking kits from Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Harry, however, took nearly all day. She honestly did not know him that well, but she wanted to get him something. She figured that it would come to mind, eventually. For Nym, back in America, she bought her a rather lovely necklace, with a picture of the tow of them as toddlers. It was strange for her to have enough money to buy a gift for everyone, she even got something for her relatives. After all of the shopping was done, they headed out of Diagon alley.

Lixella stopped suddenly, in front of a flower shop. Draco and his mother noticed she'd stopped, and turned around. She was just standing in front of the window, staring into it.

"Go on in, Lixella" said narcissa, "I'm going to go visit Mr. Burke"

She nodded, and headed inside. Draco and his mom headed off towards Bourgin and Burkes. Once in, she began asking the shop keeper about a bouquet of gardenias and lavender, that was in the window. She bought them, and headed out of the door, looking at the pot with sad eyes.

"Lixella?" said a voice from a distance, "what's with the flowers?"

"Oh! Hi there, Harry." she said, "they're umm, they're for my parents, grave. Gardenias and Lavender grow around our house a lot. So I figured they would like it."

"I'm so sorry" he said, and put an arm around her, "you having a good Christmas?"

"Umm…" she couldn't possibly tell him about the death eaters, "yeah. Pretty good so far. My house is being searched though, dunno why."

"Yeah, I um…I saw that in the paper. They haven't found anything though, have they?"

"I dunno. I'm staying with the Malfoys right now."

"Bloody hell, I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine. It'll just be a weird Christmas, ya know?"

"Well, you're more than welcome to come to the burrow for their Christmas party, that's Ron's house, he said they'd love to have you there"

"That's awfully nice of you Harry, I'd really like to get away from 'upperclass' right now" she said, thinking about the death eaters. She placed the pot and her bag son the ground. They sat on a near by bench and began talking of their break so far. After a few minutes, Ron and Hermione called Harry over from a distance.

"Hey, it's okay, it'll be a god Christmas" he said, as he got up.

"Yeah…I hope so" she said, tugging on her left sleeve.

"See ya later…and happy Christmas, Lixella" Harry pulled her into a hug. As he pulled away, he glanced down towards her left arm, his face revealed a slight look of shock.

"_did he know?_" she wondered. If Harry found out about her curse mark, Lixella wasn't sure what she would do. Certainly, she did not want to lose his friendship. She waved them all good bye, and headed to Bourgina nd Burkes to meet the Malfoys.

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><p>Christmas time is here! Pretty excited about that party, are you? me too, as soon as I can write it, I will :D<p>

Anyways I would also like to thank Yuna113, Maybelt's Fate, Zyophia Clari, Indigofrisbee, Blaze Banks, xXMizz Alex VolturiXx, and lenie945 for their support so far!

See you in the next update ^_^ Happy travels!


	17. Parchment 16: Shocking Revelations

We are on chapter 16 you guys! this story is so long!

Hopefully this chapter will live up to it's title!

It's super long because there's a lot to fit in here.

Read on and enjoy, and thank you for all of the support!

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 16: Shocking Revelations

A Christmas party full of death eaters sounded like a terrible idea to Lixella. However, this was the world she was trapped in. Once again, she had no say in how her life was run, because someone had decided for her. Someone had plucked her from her happy life in America, and brought her to a living nightmare. In fact, she hated this idea so much, that she found it hard to enjoy such a strange Christmas party. She spent the beginning of the night, avoiding people. Whether she knew them or not, everyone seemed to want to talk to her. Lixella, out of breath, and places to hide, plopped herself on the front staircase, burying her face into her white party dress.

"Lixella" a voice called out, she took a few seconds before responding.

"Look, it's lovely to meet you bu…JYNX!" she darted up and nearly pushed Jynx to the ground. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"I told you, mi da' is a business man! He does business with the Malfoys all tha' time!" she said, "Happy Christmas!" Jynx gave her a hug, and handed her a well wrapped box. Lixella took it and unwrapped it to reveal a box full of coal. Her face became puzzled.

"I figure if you're stayin' here for break, then I'd 'av to give you some smoke bombs for quick exits!"

"Nice!" Lixella said, then grabbed Jynx's arm, "Let's go get yours!"

The two of them ran upstairs, and into her guest room. She then rummaged around in the closet for a bit, and removed a small box. Jynx opened it and laughed, in big red print it red, "Weazley's finest Spits and Shouts". It was a joke kit, full of strange candies that turned your tongue different colors, but also could project a voice based on the candies.

"I figure you can use it on Parkinson, maybe give her a nice lion scare out of bed one morning!" said Lixella with a smile. She was very happy to have Jynx back. The two of them stayed upstairs for quite a while, until they both got hungry. They made their way towards the dining room. On the way they noticed Bellatrix and a few others practicing some terrible spell outside on a poor unsuspecting fox. Lixella hated Bellatrix, the woman was mad, and had no judgment of the value of a life. They entered the dining room, and Lixella nearly screamed.

"Uncle Zander" she said, running over to her uncle and aunt. They both hugged her, "where have you guys been? How's the house? Is the watch over?"

"I'm sorry dear" said her aunt, "but, the ministry seems to be hell bent on finding something!"

"Yes," said uncle Zander, "It took everything for us to get them away, just for tonight! Bloody creeping pricks, thinking we're doing something terrible during Christmas time!"

"Lixella?" asked a happy voice from behind the two of them. A man in his late 20s stepped out from behind them. He had shaggy black hair, that was cut short atop his head. His square jaw line matched his chiseled features, which were covered in fair skin. He looked at Lixella with striking blue eyes, and reached out to her with his long arms.

"Arthus!" she stated, as she pulled her cousin into a hug. "I can't believe you've made it!"

"I'm so glad to finally see you again, how's that memory coming along?" he asked.

"It's….well, it's actually…" but she was interrupted by Jynx tumbling to the floor.

"Sorry, I got caught between two people, tryin' to find ya!" said Jynx as she stood up, "Oh! 'ello"

"Um…by the way everyone this is Jynx Spakerton, she's my dorm mate in Slytherin. Jynx, this is my uncle Zander, aunt Iris, and my cousin Arthus."

"Hello" they exchanged greetings to each other.

"By the way, darling, congratulations on making Slytherin, I didn't get to tell you that yet. How is it?" asked her aunt.

"Umm" Lixella looked at Jynx, "definitely not _quite_ as bad as I thought."

"I think she should'a been in Gryffindor" Jynx said, "You'd make a good one!"

Her aunt stared at Jynx confused, she didn't understand why anyone in their family wouldn't be in Slytherin.

The night went on, and the two of them spent most of it with Arthus. He hadn't seen his cousin since she was at least 10, and wanted to catch up. Lixella told him about her school year, leaving out Draco and the Banshees. Jynx talked for a bit, but eventually ran off to go find her parents. Around, 11 o'clock, Lixella was sitting outside with Arthus, discussing Slytherin.

"I was wondering if I could speak with you in private for a second" he muttered.

"We've been talking in private for a while….what do you mean?" she asked

"Follow me" he said. Arthus took her hand and lead her out of the front door, and around the house, to the middle of the gardens. Once he thought they were safe, he sat down on a bench.

"Look, Lixella, since I last saw you, things have happened. I'm sure you're aware of your family's past. But, I think Voldemort is after you." he said, in hushed tones.

"I know, actually" Lixella looked at her left arm , it was covered by a white glove. She removed it, and showed it to her cousin. He gasped, and hung his head, low. "It wasn't my decision, I _swear_! I never wanted this!" she said.

"I know. I've known for quite some time, that's why I couldn't see you." his gaze shifted around the garden for a bit. "I'm working as a spy for The Order. I'm not actually supposed to be here. But, I had to make sure you were safe."

"what?" she asked in shock, "They could kill you!" she began looking around nervously. "I mean, they know that I am here against my will. But you, you could be killed, Arthus."

"Of course, I'm aware of that. But, I need to make sure that you are protected. Terrible things are about to happen, here and at Hogwarts. You need to watch out for Draco Malfoy, there's been talk that he's been assigned a terrible job to do. And, also, about your father…"

He stopped talking, the two of them had heard a rustling in the bushes behind them. They both peered back, but saw nothing.

"It's not safe to discuss anymore here. I'll have to tell you some other time." he said, and headed towards the noise, "don't follow me, Lixella!"

She sat there in silence, watching him disappeared into the bushes. Then, suddenly, there was a flash of red light. Lixella nearly jumped up.

"Arthus!" she called out, "Arthus, what happened?"

There was no response, she ran into the hedges, towards the light. The hedges were tall, and darkened the pathway between them. Only the moon lit her path. Lixella hoped that nothing terrible had happened to her cousin. She didn't want to lose another family member to this awful cause. She became a bit disoriented, the hedges turned into a maze in her mind. She couldn't find her cousin. She stood there, alone, in the large garden, staring down a winding dirt path. Then, a white figure appeared. It was Cordellia. She nodded to Lixella from a distance, and Lixella rushed over to her.

"_I've come to retrieve you, Lixella_" she said.

"_I can't find my cousin! We can't leave…he needs protection!_" said Lixella.

"_We can't interfere, I have not seen him. We must go, now before anyone sees us! Grab my sleeve._"

Lixella looked back towards the garden. She didn't want to, but she had to leave. She grabbed onto Cordellia's sleeve, and they ascended into the air with grace. They shot across the forest, and landed near a pond.

"_Why are you here?_" asked Lixella, "_Don't you live near Hogwarts?_"

"_We are here because one of our sisters, Ami, had been taken by those awful people called death eaters!_" said Cordellia. "_We believed that they would be after you as well._"

Lixella remembered the banshee in the chest. The one that Voldemort practically killed, to prove that Lixella was the girl he'd been looking for.

"_I've seen her_" Lixella said, "_They caught her, and used her to find me. Voldemort's already got me marked_"

She slowly lifted her sleeve, and showed her curse mark to Cordellia. The banshee looked down with sadness.

"_That man, we do not trust him. Neither should you!_" said Cordellia

"_I don't! he wants to use the banshees in his war for power._" she said, "_But…I swear to you that I will not let him do this. Even if he takes my life, I will not allow him to drag all of you into his terrible scheme!_"

"_Spoken like a true Queen._" said Cordellia, "_It's good to see you again, Aileen. Now that I know you have the spirit of her, I must tell you of our story._"

Lixella sat by the pond, and Cordellia snapped a twig off of a nearby tree. She then cast a circle around them, and drew one in the air. The circle in the air hung there, glowing with brilliance. She then tapped the center, and it revealed a picture of a banshee with dark hair and purple eyes.

"_This, is you, Aileen, in your past life. You're banshee cult, was the cult of the white willow tree. It was a tree that grew near Sleepy Hollow, that gave the banshees their souls. We banshees are all women, in order to reproduce we must find a soul. In the universe there are millions of souls being created. This white willow tree was able to absorb these souls, and harvest them into a living being. All one had to do, was give a part of themselves. So, it has always been a tradition, for every Banshee to give a drop of her own blood, to create a daughter for herself."_

Lixella watched in amazement as the banshees in the circle gave a drop of blood, and received a small ball of light from the tree.

"_This is why most people mistaken us banshees for ghosts. In the early forms of our lives, we are nearly transparent. This is because we are absorbing the universe around us, trying to harbor the magic within ourselves. Also, banshee souls are usually obtained from the death of humans. This is why we've been known to linger around the home of someone who is near death. We need their soul, to guide it to the tree, and create daughters."_

"It all makes sense, now" said Lixella, "Is that the willow tree, behind my house?"

"_Yes, it is. Years ago, the banshees of Sleepy Hollow were corrupted by a dark magic. A shadowy beast corrupted the purity of our willow tree. It cause the daughters born from it to go mad with darkness. They became consumed by hatred for others, but then a clan of wizards moved in. The Duskwoods, they were called. They claimed to be magical people, and your very great grandmother, made a deal with the banshees to remove the darkness from their soul. In order to do this, they would have to kill off the clan, and harbor their magic."_

"So, why did my very great grandmother make that pact?" Lixella asked.

"_You're grandmother owed the banshees. When she was a baby, she was born small and sick. Her family had just gotten to America, and did not realize the darkness had taken over the forest. They became sick with plague. But, Aileen was able to cure them, with nectar from the white willow. You're grandmother was able to live, and your family swore to repay them. Over the years, your grandmother and Aileen fought off the darkness. Then, Aileen returned to the wizards, 20 years later, and asked for their help. In return, she would need to fuse her soul, with that of a human. Your grandmother offered herself to the banshees, as payment for saving her infant self. Aileen thanked her, and then the Duskwoods did the unforgivable, they killed them all. It relieved the banshees of their dark plagued souls. But, then, they fused together the soul of Aileen and your grandmother, and stored it into the tree, to be released years later. Your grandmother's non-magical soul, spread into the air, and traveled for miles. Eventually, it ended up in England, where she was recovered by the banshees here._"

"What was her name?" Lixella asked, narrowing her eyes.

"_Her name, was Cordellia. I am your very great grandmother, Lixella Cruxshade. And you are the last woman born of the Duskwood name._"

Lixella gasped in shock. She got up and hugged Cordellia. It was unbelievable, that her ancient relative had lived this long, long enough to meet her.

"_It is so very nice to finally meet you, my granddaughter!_" Cordellia said as she hugged her back. "_I owe my entire life to the banshees. Even as a sacrifice, they were able to revive me, and lead me here, to meet you. Truly, there is hope in these dark times. For I sit here now, in front of my great descendant, telling her of my life. But, Lixella, you must now learn how to free the Banshees from their sleep in the white willow tree._"

"How, Grandmother?" she asked

"_I can't tell you how to do this. I was sacrificed before the wizards of Duskwood were able to create the awakening seal. They stored it somewhere near the willow, it must be written somewhere. You must find it, Lixella_"

"The family room! It must be there." said Lixella, "I must find my aunt Marceline, she has the key to open it. I think I'm ready to enter it now."

"_I will send one of our sisters to Ireland, to alert her. But, for now, I must get you back to the Malfoys. Here, grab onto me, Lixella"_

Lixella held onto her arm, once more. The two of them flew back towards the manor. Cordellia landed near the hedges.

"_I must tell you, be careful. Also, keep Draco close. He may be your only chance for surviving through this situation. He's a good person, but he can't see it in himself, don't lose faith in him. I have to leave you now, granddaughter, I will see you soon. It was, again, so very wonderful to finally meet you!_"

Cordellia hugged her, and looked at her with tears in her black eyes. Then, she floated away. Lixella stood in the cold night air, watching her great grandmother float into the distance.

She had to free Ami, from the chest. The death eaters weren't going to use her as a pawn any longer. Lixella was ready to fight back, she had been born to do this.

She snuck out behind the manor, and found her way into the cellar. There weren't any guards tonight, because of the party. Lixella tried to be as silent as possible, if she was discovered, she would most likely be killed. She searched around the cold, damp cellar, until her eyes stopped on the metal chest. She rushed over to it, and took out her wand.

"Alohomora" she whispered, The locks shot open. It was far too easy to open the chest, Lixella was almost suspicious.

"_Sister Ami"_ she whispered into the chest. The banshee inside turned over, and stared at her. She floated, weakly, out of the unlocked chest. "_I'm here to free you, my name is Lixella."_

"_I know who you are, young queen_" said Ami

Lixella snuck her out of the cellar, and out into the backyard. She stopped abruptly, after noticing that Bellatrix and Narcissa were standing just around the corner.

"Cissy, he'll be fine! I don't see why you are so worried. Come back inside, stop crying out here!" said Bellatrix.

"Bella, do you realize what I'm dealing with!" snapped Narcissa, "My husband is in prison, the whole ministry is constantly searching here, and my son has been assigned to _kill Dumbledore_! I'm going mad with worry!"

"Cissy….you mustn't worry. Draco was chosen for this, you shouldn't question the dark lord's judgment. And, once he does this, Lucius will get out of prison, then everything will be okay. Now, come back inside!"

Lixella gasped, her hand over her mouth.

"So, that's what he's been doing this whole semester."

She couldn't believe it. This whole time, he'd been plotting to kill Dumbledore. How could he accept that job? How could he possibly say that it was okay with him.

Lixella hung her head, then looked over to Ami.

"c'mon, let's get you out of here!" she lead Ami across the side yard, and into the forests.

"_thank you, Lixella. I hope to see you again someday. I owe you._" said Ami, and then floated away, screeching for the other banshees.

Lixella walked back to the house. It was late, and people were beginning to leave. Her aunt and uncle came walking out of the door, with Arthus.

"Arthus!" she ran over and hugged him.

"Goodness! You just saw the boy, are you okay Lixella?" her aunt asked.

"Fine, I am just going to miss you guys is all." she hugged them.

"Well, since you can't be home for Christmas….here" her uncle handed her a book, it was bound in black leather with golden pages.

"It was your father's, don't open it until Christmas." her uncle said, and hugged her one last time. The family headed off into the night, in their flying carriage. Lixella stood at the front door, she then walked inside.

"There you are" said Jynx, as she walked across the room. She was accompanied by an older woman, "Lixella this is mi mum."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Lixella" said her mother, in a French accent, "Jynx talkz about you all ze time"

The lady looked almost just like Jynx. She had straight black hair, and pale skin. Her figure was tall and elegant.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, too" Lixella curtsied.

"We're actually leavin'" said Jynx, "sorry I couldn't see more of ya. But, have a happy Christmas, kay?"

"I will. You, too" Lixella hugged her friend good bye and stood in the door way. Once they were out of sight, she headed back inside. She was on her way towards the stairs when she heard something loud and angry approaching her.

"NO! pansy, go away" yelled a voice from down the hall, "I told you, I am not going out with you!"

"but…dwakie!" whined a higher pitched voice. Draco and Pansy emerged from the dining room door. He stopped suddenly when he saw Lixella. She looked away, she wasn't sure what to say after learning about his 'job'. He just stood there, staring at her, wondering why she wouldn't say anything. Pansy gasped.

"It's her, isn't it! You've fallen for that…that…harpy!" pansy screeched.

"Don't call her that, Pansy!" Draco spat

"What is your problem with me Parkinson? I've never said more than two words to you!" Lixella yelled.

"I just think you're a filthy blood traitor!" Pansy said, with narrowed eyes. Lixella stepped down from the stairs, and got very close to Pansy's face.

"Trust me, Parkinson, if it actually mattered for anything, the blood that runs through me is worth _ten times_ more than anything that flows through your veins." her expression was a lot darker than usual. Draco was almost scared by it. Pansy stood cowering against the wall. She pursed her lips together. "What? Parkinson. You gonna spit on me? Try it. Wouldn't be the first time you've spat on something that's better than you."

Pansy merely glared at her. Her face showed complete shock, horror, and insult.

"You're no good for him, Lixella" she said, her voice was serious, it was low instead of high and annoying, "you'll _never_ be able to love him the way that I do."

She then turned and left, marching all the way to the door. Lixella turned around , still glaring. Draco just stood there, his arms crossed, staring at her with anger.

"That was a bit much, don't ya think?" he said

"ugh" Lixella scoffed, "I don't care anymore!"

"What do you mean you don't care? Have they finally gotten to you, Lixella? Have they finally turned you against the world?"

"Go away, Draco" she said.

"No, I won't. You can't let them get to you, Lixella. If you do then….then….you'll lose all the things about you that are worth it."

She looked at him. She didn't want to talk, because she knew what he was. He was a boy who was hungry for approval. It sickened her.

"Why don't you go plot a killing, Draco" she said, coldly, "Since you seemed to have accepted it so willingly!"

"What?" he looked at her in shock, "you know nothing, Lixella! You'll never understand…as if you aren't signed up here for something terrible!"

"I am not actually thinking of going through with it, Draco. You…you however, are so much more than you think! Try to see it, this isn't you!" she said.

"Whatever, Cruxshade…." he pushed past her and headed upstairs.

Lixella sat there, alone, trying to figure everything out. She'd never known how to survive on her own. Her whole life everything had been decided for her. Now, when she had finally found someone to understand her. They'd turned out to be just like the others. She stared at the marble floor. She knew that she needed Draco's help, but she didn't want to accept what he was. He was a death eater, working against Dumbledore, and therefore, working against everything that Lixella stood for.

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><p>SHOCK! waht do you mean her great great great great super great grandmother is Cordellia? and Cordellia was besties with Aileen? Well, now you know :D<p>

And pansy...yeah, I went there!hahaha

anyways, thanks for reading you guys, I'll update pretty soon, since the weekend is quickly approaching. For me it starts on thursday! so i should have a new chapter for you guys soon ^_^

Thanks for reading!


	18. Parchment 17: A Merry Little Christmas

Hello again, wonderful readers! This is now, chapter 17!

Thank you to bkny1, ameisrain, TheDarkSideoftheMind, Dizzy potter, and indigofrisbee for their reviews and favorites ^_^

enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 17: A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas eve had finally arrived. It was snowing, the sky was sparkling with lights, and Lixella was still only asking for one thing for Christmas, to leave London forever. She wanted to be home, with her family, around a large Christmas tree. Right now they'd be opening one gift, and drinking hot cider. However, she was stuck at Malfoy manor. Even worse, she didn't know how to get through to Draco.

Since the party, they hadn't spent much time with each other. Perhaps she was too harsh in her judgment. Then again, he had accepted to kill off one of the greatest wizards of all time. Lixella could see him now. He would be offered the job, and accept it with a pompous smirk. He would have no clue what was in store for him, but think himself beyond worthy, all because he was singly chosen for the job. She nearly vomited as she imagined him nodding and saying, "yes", with that tone of arrogance, that she despised.

She didn't want to be here for Christmas eve, luckily, tomorrow she would be picked up and taken to Cruxshade manor. If only she could spend the rest of her break there. For some reason her aunt and uncle were _still_ being watched. A thought crossed her mind, perhaps it wasn't the ministry at all, perhaps Voldemort was just threatening them. The sad part was, it was more likely Voldemort than the ministry.

Her attention moved over to a box, sitting by the window. Illunia had delivered it to her this morning. To her dismay, it contained Draco's present. She had tossed around the idea of getting him something for quite a while. The two of them had been so bipolar with each other, lately, that she wasn't sure if he was worth the money. It came down to the fact that he'd saved her life, twice already. Plus, at the time, he seemed to genuinely care about getting her through being a death eater.

Lixella walked over to the window, and picked up the box. It was small and royal blue. There was an insignia on the top in gold ink. It was a company called "Prickpoth and Jaggerly", they were a small enchanting company that her father used to work for. She didn't want to open it, because she only felt anger towards him, at the moment. The box was placed back onto the window sill.

A knock came from her door.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Come downstairs." said an all too familiar voice.

"I don't really want to. I'm not feeling up to it, Draco!"

"Bloody hell, woman! You've been in there for nearly two days. Do you eat? Are you trying to starve to death? Do I have to break down the door? Just get out here!" he began yelling.

"What will you do if I don't?"

"Really, Lixella? You're going to play these stupid childish games, with me?" his voice became annoyed, "Since when do you brood in a room for 2 days straight. If I pulled that rubbish, you'd have my throat for it! Why, I'd never hear the end of it from you!"

The door swung open, she stood there glaring at him. Her arms were crossed, and the atmosphere around her felt very closed.

"Whatever, Malfoy!" she pushed past him, and headed for the stairs.

"OH! no longer on a first name basis I see…" he sneered, "tch…you're just as bad as Potter! Just, angst over the stupidest little things."

It was as if he had devolved. He had gone back to his snarky, primped, pure blooded self. Lixella did not even stop to glare at him. She just headed down the stairs and into the foyer. However, she stopped once she noticed that the place was deathly silent.

"Why is it so quiet?" she asked to no one.

"We're the only ones here!" said Draco as he arrived down the stairs.

"Where's your mother?"

"….She's….visiting my father" his voice trailed off, uncomfortably.

"I'm…sorry," Lixell shifted her gaze towards a wall, "I umm…I didn't know you could visit people at Azkaban."

"Well, it's not common. In fact, it rarely ever happens. But, it's Christmas eve, and I doubt they can stop my mother."

They both just stood in the foyer for a few minutes. Each of them were lingering on a separate memory of their families. Lixella was still picturing her Christmas eve at home. Draco, however, was just thinking about his father. It was so silent, and awkward, that neither of them was sure how to break it.

"Well…" Lixella started, she looked down at her hands, "look, Draco…..I'm sorry, okay! I know that I've been pretty pissy lately"

"tch, yeah you have!" he scoffed under his breath. Lixella nearly slapped him.

"try to contain yourself, while I swallow my pride and attempt to be a decent person, please!" she said.

"sorry…" he said half heartedly, under his breath.

"Anyways, I've been pretty pissy lately. I'm just trying to take all of this in, I'm not used to being so damn important. Nor am I anywhere near prepared to face all of this stuff. I just feel, so, unready for all of the things that are going to be happening soon. I don't think I can handle it all."

"you done?" he asked

"Yes….Draco…I'm finally finished, sorry to have wasted your time!" she turned to head back upstairs, "so, is that all you wanted? To scold me, or should I stick around for dessert? Perhaps you'll be serving up some deliciously basted dead baby puffs! Or, perhaps a heaping helping of your favorite, not giving a damn!"

"I missed it, ya know" he said, she stopped walking, "I missed that sharp tongue of yours. I thought you'd gotten soft on me, Lixella. I don't like softies! Look, part of the reason why I like you so much, is because you can shut me the hell up! I don't think you've noticed but there are only a few people in this world who can do that. Two of them are my parents, one of them….well, let's just say Granger is horrifying at times. But, you….you have no authority over me, nor do you despise me to the point of wanting to kill me. You're just a girl, who is very good at making me speechless. If you can do that, then I don't know why you can't figure all of this out."

Lixella looked down at the railing of the staircase. She chuckled, he was right, she _had_ gotten soft. The usual Lixella wouldn't be so worried about failing, she would've just gone for it. It was funny, how she hadn't noticed the change.

"I guess keeping you around was a good idea after all, huh Malfoy?" she said, smirking.

"you think that _you_ were keeping _me_ around?" he said, "please, Cruxshade! You can't live without me."

"dear god" she whispered as she planted her face into her hands, "your smugness is almost suffocating."

"Yeah….it's great isn't it." he smirked, "I'd say I've just about mastered it, wouldn't you?"

"No" said Lixella, "Now, is there an actual reason you wanted me down here. Or did you just get lonely? Little dwakie all by himself, scared of his big house?"

She headed down the stairs, and they began walking towards the kitchen.

"I'm not scared. I just wanted to make sure you weren't starving, is all. I'm trying to be the better person here, Lixella. Try to show some decency, please?"

"OH, trust me Draco, I have tons more than you could handle."

"Really? I think I can handle it! If you uhh…know what I mean" he eyed her up and down.

"oh, barf!" she gagged

"That's not what you said when I kissed you on the astronomy tower. In fact, as I remember, I think you were at a loss for words there!"

"I…" she stopped, he was right, "I was merely, admiring the view. You had nothing to do with it!"

"Denial is the first stage, Lixella. One of these days you'll just have to give in to the fact that you find me irresistible."

"I can resist you, Draco. Trust me!" she glared at him.

"really?" he asked sitting down at the bar in his kitchen.

"Of course, you're not hard to look past." she said, standing across the room.

His face became almost cynical. He got up from his chair, and marched across the room.

"What are you doing?" Lixella asked, but before she could get another word in, he had her pinned against the wall. Then, he nearly forced his lips onto hers. Lixella didn't even have time to breath. She, also, didn't really want him to stop. So, she stood there, pinned against the wall, practically snogging Draco.

Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she pushed him off of her. He looked at her, extremely confused, because he was sure that she was enjoying it. Her face twisted into something almost evil. She then knocked him down onto the floor. He was on his back, staring up at her, with fear in his eyes. She leaned in very close, her lips next to his right ear.

"It's so cute" she whispered, "When you think _you're _the dominant one."

Her lips went crashing onto his. She began kissing him with as much lust and passion as she could. He had never been so turned on by anyone in his life. But, suddenly, she stopped.

"You shouldn't worry about me resisting you, Draco. The question is…..can _you_ resist _me_?"

She dismounted him, and headed out of the kitchen. He was left, speechless, and very much turned on.

"She's crazy…" he said, still catching his breath, "I'm falling for a mad woman"

"Oh….hello, Mrs. Malfoy!" sounded a voice from the foyer.

"Shit!" he cursed as he scrambled to get up. He was not about to let Lixella have the satisfaction of watching his mother scold him. However, there was another problem, the "excitement" that Lixella had left, in his pants. Certainly, his mother could not see this. He started devising a plan of escape, the servant door to upstairs would be best.

"Draco?" said Narcissa as she opened the kitchen door, "why are you in here? And, where are you going?"

He peered his head around the doorway, not moving an inch out of it.

"Upstairs…I erm…I forgot something." he said, nervously.

Lixella walked in, and snorted at the current scene.

"Oh, so he _was_ in here!" she said with a sly grin, from behind Narcissa.

He then, proceeded to dash upstairs as fast as he possibly could.

"That boy" Narcissa sighed, "I swear, sometimes I think he should be in St. Mungo's. Anyway, how are you, Lixella? It's Christmas eve, and I've barely said a word to you."

"Fine" she said, sitting down in a nearby chair, "A bit homesick."

"Hm" Narcissa said, "it seems everyone is without someone important this Christmas."

She began gazing out the window. Her mind seemed to be somewhere distant. Most likely it was making it's way to Azkaban, with Lucius.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Malfoy" Lixella said, "I wish I could remember him better."

"It is a shame, you know" her attention returned from the window, "that you can't remember anything from your childhood. You did spend a great deal of time here in the summer."

"Really? I mean I knew that I had come here, but was it that often?" asked Lixella.

"Oh yes! Your aunt would bring you all the time. I didn't want to refuse, your aunt and I are very good friends. I think your aunt told me that your family used to take vacations in England, and then move to Ireland, to visit your mother's sister. But, often times, you would come over here."

"There are so many things that I wish I could remember. It's all a blur to me."

"Actually, and he won't admit it. But, having you over, was the highlight of Draco's summer, quite often."

Lixella laughed, and then stared at a tile on the floor. If only she could remember those summers. If only she could remember, anything.

"Dear, he won't tell you this, so I'm going to. My son has a very stubborn personality, he gets it from his father. But, he really does care about you, Lixella. He loves you, very much. So, don't think too terribly of him. Whatever he does, he does it because he is a very confused boy, not because he's evil."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy" Lixella said

"You can call me Narcissa, you know? I've known you long enough. Plus, you're staying in my house for Christmas eve! And, speaking of Christmas eve, it's about time we started treating it as such. Go get Draco, I've not spent this Christmas brooding, so neither can you two."

Lixella nodded, and made her way upstairs, to Draco's room. The hallway was eerily silent, as if no one had been there in years. She knocked on his door three times.

"Draco, hey, you're mom wants you downstairs…" there was no answer, "Draco?"

Lixella began getting worried, she opened the door, and peered inside. There wasn't anyone in his room. She stepped in and began examining. His room was far too green. The walls were emerald green with black vertical stripes. The curtains over the window were black velvet. They draped down to a green carpeted floor. On that floor sat matching dark cherry wood furniture. His bed was made up with green sheets and a black silk blanket. There was also, what looked like, a closet sitting off to the right corner.

"God, it's like he's trying to scream 'I'm in Slytherin'." Lixella could not believe just how green and black his room was. Then, she noticed a box, sitting on the bed, half way open, with tissue paper scattered around. Lixella walked over to pick it up.

"What are you doing?" he asked from the doorway, "I leave for two seconds, and you are already peering at your present! naughty naughty"

"Is it a present? Really?" she asked

"Of course it is! You think I wouldn't get you anything?"

"No…"

"Well, I did…now put it down, you can't open it!"

"Fine" she put the box back onto the bed.

"Why are you in here?" he asked.

"You're mom wants both of us downstairs. She says that you aren't allowed to brood up here. But, we both know that's not what you were doing." she glanced down at his pants for a second.

"I could kill you, Lixella! Do you realize how much you could've embarrassed me? How much trouble you could've gotten me into? Could've gotten us into?"

"Yeah" she said, waltzing over to the doorway, "but, that's why I left you there….speechless."

She kissed him once, and then skipped down the hall.

"Don't wait up!" she shouted.

He stayed behind for a bit, and continued wrapping her present. Once he was finished, he headed down to the living room. Lixella and Narcissa were sitting in front of the fire.

"Draco, now that I can actually see the rest of you" Narcissa said as she got up. She hugged him, and they both sat down on the couch. Lixella sat in a chair to the left of them. They spent a good portion of the night sitting by the fireplace, drinking wine and talking about past events. Most of them were stories to help Lixella remember her summer's at Malfoy manor.

"Oh, of course!" said Narcissa, "Draco used to come in all of the time, covered in mud. The two of you fought like wild dogs! You ruined so many of the nice clothes that I would buy for him."

"I'm so sorry" Lixella laughed.

"She did not push me in mud, mother." Draco sneered.

"Oh please, Draco! This was the only girl on the planet that you were afraid of as a child. And yet, every time she would come over, you would practically jump up with excitement."

Lixella swore that she saw Draco turn pink at the mention of this.

"Now, Lixella…do you remember anything?" asked narcissa

"Well, the thing is, I can remember very little, but most of it is blurry." she responded.

"Such a shame, you two could've grown up as such good friends, had that summer not happened."

"Yeah, then I'd have someone to ruin all of my good clothes now! Great idea."

"oh…I'm sure I've ruined a few already" said Lixella under her breath.

Narcissa nearly spat out her sip of wine. Draco looked at her wide eyed.

"What did you say, dear?" asked Narcissa with shock

"nothing…nothing at all" said Lixella.

Despite the fact that she was stuck at Malfoy manor, Lixella was having a wonderful Christmas eve. She'd spent the night laughing and recovering her lost memories. But, it had begun getting late, and they were ushered to bed by Narcissa. They all headed upstairs, wishing each other a good night. Lixella sat on the windowsill bench in her guestroom, and stared out at the snow.

"Hey" sounded a sudden voice from her doorway.

"Shouldn't you be asleep, Draco?" she asked

"Okay, pause the snark, I wanted to give you something" he said, and removed a box from behind his back. It was small and flat, and wrapped in green wrapping paper. He handed it to her, and she began unwrapping it. Her jaw dropped, once she removed the tissue paper.

Inside was a necklace, made of shimmering silver. It was carved with a black swirling design, around an oval cut emerald.

"open it" he said

She stared at him for a second, because the necklace didn't look like a locket. He nodded, and she opened it. Inside was a moving picture. A young version of her mother and father, were sitting next to each other on a couch. In her mother's arms was a small infant Lixella. Every few seconds, her dad would lean in and whisper something, and her mom would kiss him. They both smiled at her. Lixella's eyes began to fill with tears. She had never received something so beautiful from anybody.

"dear god…" she whispered, "thank you"

"Merry Christmas, Lixella" he said, "I'm glad you like it!"

"Like it…Draco, this is the most wonderful thing anyone's ever given me. I mean, I've had some lovely gifts in the past…..but this, this is…."

Lixella stared at the locket again. "I…how did you get this picture?" she asked, sniffling.

"I saw it on a shelf, the day I went to your house. I went back and asked your uncle if I could use it."

"I can't even….wow" she said and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she began fumbling around for her present. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, removing the small blue box.

"Here" she said, sniffling and wiping away the remnants of her tears.

"ah, so you _did _get me something!" he said.

"Yeah, it's not quite to the point of tear worthy though."

He opened the small package to find a pocket watch. It, also, was shimmering silver with black detailing. The cogs inside were visible, and spun with elegance. The numbers were placed on the clock face in shimmering green. The 12 had been replaced by a coiled dragon.

"It's lovely" he said.

"Well, actually, that's not it" she said, "it's enchanted. See the company is one my dad used to work for, they enchant items with special abilities."

"So it does more than tell time?" he looked confused, and began studying the watch for something interesting.

"Yes, in fact, it can translate and tell the time in banshee language." she said. She took the watch from him and popped open the glass. She then turned the second hand to 12, and tapped on the dragon. "Look, banshee is the most beautiful language I've ever heard, but it's inaudible to humans. We hear it as screeches, but with this, you can hear how lovely it is. Hold it up to your face, not against it….just up to it."

He held the watch up in front of him. Lixella leaned down to the watches level, and began making an awful low screeching noise. Then, the watch clicked and the hands spun with intense speed.

"Merry Christmas, Draco" he heard from his end. She was right, it was the most lovely language he had ever heard. The words were slow and soft. It was almost like listening to a lullaby.

"Woah, I wasn't expecting that….I wasn't expecting that at all" he said in shock, "thanks! I mean…this is really….god, this must've cost….wow."

She smiled and giggled, then scooted closer to him, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Come here, Cruxshade. I want to tell you something." he pulled her closer to him, and laid down on the window sill. She looked shocked for a second, but then she put her head on his chest, and wrapped her arms around his torso. It was very quiet for a bit, while he pondered how to word it all.

"You are, the most….annoying woman that I've ever met." he said. She started laughing at this choice of words. "But, you are also the most amazing person I've ever seen. And…within the past year…I haven't needed someone like you more. Someone to bicker with, and someone that I could be a pompous ass to, without them pulling their wand on me. I guess, what I really want to say is, I think I love you, Lixella."

She shifted a bit, and slowly raised herself up. Her eyes met his and she reached her hand towards his face.

"I…I love you too, Draco" she said, leaning towards him. She leaned in and kissed him. It was a kiss just as passionate as the one from the kitchen, but she didn't pull away this time. It sent a shock of adrenaline through the both of them. He could feel the tears that had trickled down her face from earlier. She put her hand on his cheek, and pulled him in. They sat kissing for what seemed like hours. Neither of them wanting to stop. Her hands were moving through his platinum blond hair. His arms were trying to pull her closer to him.

They wanted all of each other, and neither of them was going to pull away this time.

The night seemed to go on forever. But, eventually, they fell asleep right there on the window sill. Both of them were holding onto the other, as if nothing could separate them. Truly, it was a Merry little Christmas morning.

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><p>I bet that window was pretty steamy after all of this XD<p>

I'll try to make the next chapter shorter since the last few have been sooooo terrbily long!

thank you again, and I'll see you in chapter 18! Man, i should put this into novel form...it's long enough!


	19. Parchment 18: Fear

Welcome to parchment 18! we are finally getting out of winter break.

I wanted to do more with winter break, but it's taking too long, and i don't want to drag stuff out!

Thank you to Indigofrisbee, xXMizz Alex VolturiXx, and DizzyPotter for their wonderful reviews!

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 18: Fear

Her head was almost spinning. The room was warm, but Lixella felt cold, all the way to her core. It took all of her willpower to keep herself from shivering in fear. It had been a few days since Christmas, and she was sitting at, yet another, one of Voldemort's awful meetings. The atmosphere in the room was making her nauseous, she would have looked sick, had she not been trying to compose herself.

Voldemort was sitting at the head of the table, every now and then he would get up and criticize everyone. Lita, who had come with uncle Zander, stood outside with the other house elves. Luckily, this time, uncle Zander was able to sit next to Lixella. She was pretty thankful, considering that last time she almost had to sit next to Bellatrix. Who, at the current moment, was sitting on the left of uncle Zander, staring at Voldemort with wide eyes.

"I thought for sure" said Voldemort, "that you would have it done by now, Draco. Why is it taking so long?"

"The cabinet, it's taking too long to mend" he had to force the words out.

If there was one thing Lixella despised, it was watching Voldemort question Draco. It was like watching a spider pick at a fly that had just gotten caught in the web. The little fly couldn't say anything, because it was using all of it's strength to get away from the spider. But, despite the fly's attempts, the spider just kept stabbing at it. It was one of those situations, where you just wanted to look away.

"Zander!" he shouted, "What cabinet is he talking about?"

Uncle Zander winced in fear, "It's a vanishing cabinet, my lord. It's supposed to be able to get he death eaters into Hogwarts, safely. I've been trying to mend it ever since…"

"Since when?" he screamed.

"Since my brother William, gave it to me"

The whole room went dreadfully silent. Lixella knew what was coming. Voldemorts cold eyes peered over to her. A crooked smile crept over his featureless face.

"William, you say?" he asked in a smooth tone, "Why…didn't he have a daughter?"

Voldemort slowly stood up, and made his way over to Lixella's chair. Her heart began racing, and a knot formed in her stomach. She was becoming more nauseous as he moved closer. Soon, he stopped right behind her chair. He wrapped his boney white fingers around the chair's back. Then, he flung her chair backwards, almost causing Lixella to topple over.

"Stand up, girl" he demanded.

Lixella stood up as quickly as she could. She was biting back fear, trying to keep her face expressionless.

"I want to be able to look you in the eyes, so I can tell if you're lying to me"

He stared at Lixella with his cold slits of eyes. "Tell me, Lixella…tell everyone…was that your father's vanishing cabinet?"

"Yes, my lord" she said. It surprised her that she was able to speak without stuttering.

"Ah….so we have a nice little heir here!" he turned to the table, "Well then, did he teach you how to use it properly?"

Lixella took a deep breath, she didn't want to answer. She knew what would happen if she answered him.

"Did he?" yelled Voldemort, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes!" she shouted, "he….he did, when I was 11."

"Very good" he turned, and sat back down. He motioned for Lixella to sit as well, she went to push the chair in.

"Don't bother, Lixella….sit, please" he said.

Lixella sat in the chair, and with the flick of Voldemort's wand, the chair shot itself back to the table. Lixella nearly vomited when it stopped, she flew forward, clutching the table for support.

"Well" said Voldemort, "Draco, since you seem to be just as incompetent as your father, I'm going to let Lixella help you. You will help, won't you, Lixella?"

Lixella's eyes darted over to Draco, he looked at her apologetically.

"Answer him!" yelled Bellatrix.

"You seem to have lost your voice today, Lixella" said Voldemort, he pointed his wand to her, and a red light came flashing out of it. Lixella felt a rush of immense pain. She gritted her teeth, trying not to scream. Draco nearly shot out of his seat. Uncle Zander jumped, he wanted to help, but knew that he couldn't.

"I will not repeat myself Miss Cruxshade…answer me", he said with a look of insanity in his eyes.

"Okay" she mumbled between shocks of pain.

"Okay what?"

"I'll….help" she panted, gritting her teeth.

He ceased torturing her. Lixella sat back in her chair, gasping for breath. Her stomach was now twisting with sickness. She wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere but here.

She could feel tears running down her face. Her uncle reached a hand over and patted her on the shoulder. Lixella began coughing, but quickly stopped.

"Well, now that, that's over" he shifted in his seat, peering around the table for his next victim. Bellatrix gave a small giggle towards Lixella's discomfort. "I heard a very interesting story the other day, from our allies that communicate with the dementors. They told me that a girl and a boy were flying around their territory the other day."

Lixella and Draco instantly locked eyes. They looked at each other in fear.

"How?" she mouthed, not making a sound.

Draco shrugged his shoulders, and shook his head.

"Apparently, they were fought off by a banshee, in a forest near here." his gaze shifted from Draco to Lixella, "I also heard that the girl was able to produce a full patronus. Apparently it was a gryphon. Now, I know that patronus charms are not taught at Hogwarts. However, you didn't go to Hogwarts until this year, did you, Lixella?"

"No, my lord" she didn't hesitate to answer this time.

"AH…finally found that voice of yours" he said, several death eaters began snickering. "So, Lixella, tell me…at that school of yours, Lunareth, do they teach patronus charms?"

"Yes, my lord. Fifth years are required to know them for their O.W.L. exams" she looked down.

"Ah….could you, perhaps, demonstrate for us?" he motioned to the other side of the table.

Lixella shuddered, and headed to the front of the room. It was eerily quiet as she walked. She didn't want to prove Voldemort correct in his assumption, but she had to. She took out her white willow wand, and tried her hardest to picture something happy.

Her normal memory was of the first magic trick she ever did. It was one of the few that she could remember.

She was 11 and had watched a weeping lotus blossom fall from a vine outside of her house. She picked it up and as she held it in her hand, it blossomed and turned different shades of pink. Suddenly, It began fluttering away, it spun around, and turned into a pixie. It was the most beautiful memory she had. Now it was even more beautiful, because her mother was in it. She was there to congratulate her on being 'such a skilled witch!' Lixella's face became brighter as she smiled. She allowed the memory to fill her up, entirely.

"Expecto Patronum!" she chanted.

She waved her wand, and as it stopped a figure began to emerge. It was large and vividly bright. It was a gryphon, with the front of an owl and the back of a big white cat. She had only seen this animal once, in a favorite story book of hers called, "They Gryphon and the Forest".

The gryphon darted across the dinner table. Everyone stared at it with wide eyes, except for Voldemort who studied it thoroughly. As the gryphon reached the end of the table it spread it's large wings and glided up above Voldemort's head. Just as it reached the top of the room, it vanished into splotches of pure white light.

The room of death eaters watched in amazement. Then, all attention turned from her, to Voldemort. He sat at the end of the table with his hand on his chin, pondering something.

"The banshee that we have locked away in the chest, downstairs. It seems to have, escaped." He rose out of his chair, and glided over to Lixella. "Do you know who let her out, little banshee girl?"

Her breathing became heavy. She could not answer this question. She was sure that Voldemort would kill her, or torture her again, as punishment. She calmed herself down, and focused on looking innocent.

"It wasn't me, my lord" she said, "I didn't even know that she was still alive."

It was a convincing argument. Voldemort glared at her, he couldn't read her expression.

"Well, who else would've let her out?" he said in a harsh tone.

"No idea, my lord" Lixella responded.

"you're a good liar, Lixella…almost as good as your Father. But, that is a terrible trait to have. If I cannot bring it out of you willingly, then I will have to force it"

He removed his wand, "Cru-"

"No!" screamed a voice from across the room. Lita had run in through the doorway, and fell on the floor. "It was me!" she shouted. Voldemort turned to the house elf, then glared back at Lixella. Lita walked over, and stood in front of her. "It was Lita, who set the Banshee free." Lixella shook her head, she wasn't going to let Lita die. "Lita has been working for Arclese and Tidon. I'm supposed to protect Miss Cruxshade, and return her to them."

"Well" said Voldemort, looking at Lixella one last time, "Those two are dead. And, soon, you will join them."

"It was me! She's lying!" shouted Lixella.

"Don't toy with me!" yelled Voldemort, "I don't tolerate games!"

"Lita tell him the real truth!" said Lixella, Lita backed up, covering her mouth. "That's an order, Lita! The truth, now!" she shouted.

"It wasn't Lita!" Lita shouted through her palms.

"Crucio!" shouted Voldemort as he pointed his wand towards Lixella. She fell to the ground, this time she couldn't hold her screams back. It was that sensation of electric needles, biting at every cell in her body. She began writhing around, reaching for something to hold on to.

"Liars, Lixella" said Voldemort, in a loud and forceful tone, "will not be tolerated here. If you pull something like that again. I will be forced to kill you! Got that?"

"Yes!" she pleaded, "Stop, please!"

He stopped the curse. Lixella pushed herself up by her arms. Tears were pouring from her eyes. She was physically exhausted.

"Levicorpus" he said, and she shot into the air. She floated over to him, and he glared up at her. "Do not try to be brave, little gryphon" he exclaimed in a low, cold voice, "brave people, don't make it very far in this group."

She landed on the ground with a thud. Her muscles were refusing to move. Her body had taken enough damage. She just lay there, tears falling down either side of her face, and dripping onto the floor.

"And you, Draco" he said, walking back towards his seat, "You should know better than to chase after a girl. Especially one who is stupid enough to fly into a storm of dementors, without means of protection."

"_She had protection_" he thought, "_just not from you_"

Draco didn't respond. He couldn't believe that Voldemort knew. He knew, somehow, that the two of them had begun caring for each other. Draco just stared across the room, at Lixella's lifeless body.

"_Stupid girl_" he thought, "_I told you! I told you to not mess with anything Voldemort has! Now look, he's gone and beaten the life out of you. Why did you free that damn banshee?_"

He couldn't verbally scold her, so he mentally scolded her. He couldn't believe that she'd even thought of freeing the banshee in the cellar. She had to have been out of her mind. Nothing, would ever make Draco want to go so far as to set free a creature that Voldemort had trapped. But, Lixella wasn't like the other death eaters. She wasn't there as a follower, she was there as a weapon. In Voldemorts eyes she wasn't even a person, just a means of power. Therefore, he could torture her as much as he wanted. He thought, by doing this, he could break her spirit faster. However, this was proving to be more difficult than Voldemort had anticipated.

"I hope that, with the events from today, I will see some progress in our mission, very soon." He said, and then apparated away, leaving a cloud of black smoke.

The death eaters at the table all stood up and made their way out of the dining room door. A few of them kicked the house elves, before departing. Uncle Zander stood up and rushed over to Lixella, who was still on the floor. Narcissa and Draco followed him. Zander put and arm around her, "Lixella, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah" she said, "I think so…"

"You've got the nerve of your father" said Zander, "trying to go up against Voldemort, like that. He wasn't the type of person to give in easily."

"You're mad" said Draco, "Why would you do that?"

"She needed my help" Lixella scolded, "I couldn't just leave her in there to die."

"I can't believe that you two fought off dementors" said Narcissa, "when did this happen?"

"About a week or two ago" said Lixella, "It was pretty early."

Uncle Zander was able to hoist Lixella to her feet. Her legs began shaking, but she was able to stand.

"Do you really know about that cabinet, Lixella?" asked uncle Zander.

"A bit…I know how to send things, and return them. But, I don't understand why it would be broken."

"Your father did tell me that only a true Cruxshade would know how to fix it!" he chuckled, "and this whole time, I thought he meant me."

Uncle Zander helped Lixella up to her guestroom. She sat down on the bed, tired and out of breath.

"We'll be by to pick you up tomorrow. Hogwarts starts back in a day, right?" he asked. Lixella nodded. "Well, then I guess we'll get to see you at least once before the school year resumes. I'll be downstairs if you need me.

Lixella laid down on the bed. She stared out of the window across the room. The sun was setting, turning the sky several shades of pink. Lixella was reminded once more, of how much she didn't want to be there. She missed her family, and her house. All she wanted, was to go home. She fell asleep hoping that, when she woke up, this would all have been just a terrible dream.

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><p>This chapter was a bit shorter, since the others have been super long!<p>

I hope you all enjoyed it ^_^

See you in my next update...thanks for reading!


	20. Parchment 19: I'm Not this Person

To the spring semester! we are on chapter 19! wow, next chapter is chapter 20...this is awesome!

Thanks for your support guys, also a big thanks to DizzyPotter and indigorfrisbee, I'l reply at the end of this chapter!

Also a thanks for favorites from whoisaly and DizziPenn!

Enjoy

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 19: I'm Not This Person

It was a fine day outside and, for some reason, the sky was more interesting to Lixella than professor Snape. She had been sitting next to Jynx for the past few minutes, paying no attention to the new chapter. Instead, she was gazing out at a small patch of bright blue sky, shimmering beyond dark clouds. Her left hand held up her head, while her right one was playing with the locket around her neck.

"Tha's pretty" whispered Jynx, "Where'd ya get tha'?"

"Hm?" she questioned, snapping out of her daze, "Oh, it was a Christmas present."

"Who gave it to ya? It's positively gorgeous!"

Draco, who had been acting oblivious to the whole conversation, sitting in front of them, suddenly glanced back.

"Oh, just someone" she said, opening the locket, "someone wonderful"

She gazed into the emerald as she closed it, she noticed something was moving inside. She squinted, staring into the crystal. Then, suddenly, she was brought back to reality by a book being slammed closed. Lixella squealed with shock, and looked up to find professor Snape glaring at her.

"Page 326, Miss Cruxshade" he said through nearly gritted teeth.

"Yes sir" she said, catching her breath.

She turned her book open to page 326, and read the heading, "Banshee's: Reapers of the Highlands". Her eyes became wide with anger.

"Why are banshees in our defense against the dark arts text?" she asked to no one.

She had, apparently, asked this rather loudly, for when she looked up, the whole class was staring at her.

"They are in there, Miss Cruxshade, because you may need to defend yourself against one, someday." responded Snape, sarcastically.

"But, Professor" she peered around, "Banshees aren't dark creatures. They would barely hurt a fly."

"And, what…exactly, would you know of Banshees? Miss Cruxshade." Snape merely stood there, his arms crossed, waiting for a reply.

"Well, professor" she said with equal sarcasm, "they're part of my family history. You should know that."

Snape had been present when Voldemort had revealed her past. So, she was unsure as to why he felt it necessary to bicker with her on the subject.

"yes, the Duskwoods" he said, "I was just getting to the lore of how your family killed an entire race of, as you put it, 'harmless' creatures. I was not going to mention that you were their descendant. However, you seem to want the attention so badly, Miss Cruxshade, perhaps I should have pointed you out."

Several students gasped upon learning this information. Hermione, who was near the front, turned to Lixella with a puzzled expression. Snape simply walked back to the projector at the back of the room, and began changing the slides. Lixella nearly jumped out of her seat, staring back at him.

"easy, girl" said Jynx, holding a hand to Lixella's shoulder, pushing her into her seat.

She jerked her head around, let out an annoyed sigh, and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever" she mumbled, placing her head back in her left hand.

The students who had been staring, planted their faces back into their books.

Classes, that day, had not been very interesting. Lixella had spent most of her time in divination staring into a crystal ball. However, nothing had appeared to her, all she saw was swirling mist. Charms was entertaining, for Neville had accidentally cast his spell incorrectly, sending his testing cup flying towards professor Flitwick. The rest of the day, however, had become just a murky blend of monotony. Lixella sat in the Slytherin common room, waiting for Jynx so they could go to an early dinner. She was working on a divination assignment on scrying. She had to see something from the past. However, the crystal ball was not wielding anything. She just stared into it, not trying very hard, her mind in some distant dimension.

"You" shouted a voice from across the room, she looked up to see Draco.

There were several people in the Slytherin common room at that moment. And, at this point in time, were all staring towards Draco. Lixella began laughing at his choice of words.

"Not _all_ of you!" he scoffed, "just you, Cruxshade. Follow me."

"But…" she peered back to the girls dorm, hoping for Jynx's arrival, "but I'm about to leave for dinner with Jynx, can't this wait?"

"Nope!" he exclaimed, "now, follow me…or…or…"

"or you'll come up with a better comeback?" she said, striding after him, "oh, Draco, I'm shivering in my shoes!"

They exited the dungeons and ascended up the stairs. Neither of them said much to each other. They had agreed that, while at school, they would keep their relationship a complete secret. Both of them had a reputation to uphold, after all. Draco was supposed to be the much despised pure-blood of Hogwarts, while Lixella was supposed to be the exact opposite.

"You haven't told anyone have you?" he said in a low whisper, "I heard you talking to Spakerton, during defense against the dark arts and…"

"Oh god, you think I'd actually tell?" she looked at him with shock, "Please, can you imagine the look on my friends faces if I told them I was going out with Draco Malfoy? I mean, just imagine Jynx's reaction, Neville's, or Hermione's….Ron might never talk to me again!"

"What about Potter?" he asked, turning a corner,

"Oh, really Draco?" she said, "Of course I wouldn't tell Harry. In fact, I've hardly talked to him since break."

"Well, you seemed to fancy him quite a bit!" he scolded, "You two seemed to be close. Or, at least, you were at the masquerade."

"yes, Draco, I've suddenly fallen for Harry Potter…" she laughed, "We've had maybe two conversations, since we've met. Plus, he has his heart set on Ginny Weasley."

"How would you know that?"

"Hermione tells me all the time in Ancient Runes class."

"I can't believe you hang around that mud blood!"

"You know, Draco" she stopped walking, "it's obvious why so many people I know dislike you. Using terms like that won't get you many friends!"

He smirked, "got you to fall for me, didn't I? Ouch!" Lixella had smacked him hard on the back of his head. "So, you're resorting to physical abuse, are you?" he questioned, and began heading up the stairs to the seventh floor. Lixella was about to retort, when Draco stopped in the middle of the hallway. He took several seconds looking around.

"Isn't this the entrance to the room of requirement?" Lixella asked, confused, "Draco, why are we up here? Oh, this is where the va-". He had placed his hand over her mouth.

"Don't say _anything_" he whispered, "Anyone could be listening in on us."

"Okay" she said, as he removed his hand.

"Where are those two?" He asked, as he began pacing up and down the hallway.

"Who?" asked Lixella.

Then, two girls came striding down the hallway. They both looked extremely unhappy to be there. One of them was a younger girl, holding brass scales. The other was a bit older, and holding a copper cauldron. Lixella stared at them, confused as to why they were there.

"What's _she _doing here?" asked one of the girls in a low voice.

"She's helping" said Draco

It took a second to register, but Lixella figured out that the girl sounded just like Goyle. She immediately broke out into, rather rude, but not uncalled for, laughter.

"Haha, you didn't" she said to Draco, "Why are they?…how could you?…Oh, this is priceless! I am _so _sorry you two! Draco, you are such a terrible person!"

She nearly fell on the floor with laughter. She bent over, using her knees as support.

"That is just cruel" she chuckled, catching her breath, "Why girls? Why not let them be boys, at least?"

"Because…"scoffed Draco, "will you _please_ stop laughing!"

"sorry" she said, calming her chuckles.

After she was done laughing at the best moment of her day, she turned to stare at the stone wall. Draco closed his eyes, and Lixella watched the large wooden door crumble out from the wall. Upon entering the large room, she gasped. When she had used it for the masquerade, it was merely a ball room. Now, it appeared to be an overly sized closet. Piles of random objects sat everywhere, reaching up to the tall ceiling.

"Come on" Draco motioned to follow him.

They darted past several junk piles and walked around a few pillars. Lixella wondered how anyone could find their way in this place. They stopped in front of a large black cabinet, covered by an old oriental rug. It resembled the one that Lixella was taught about when she was 11. Draco removed the rug, and stared back at Lixella.

"Yep" she said, circling the cabinet, "this is definitely my dad's cabinet."

"So" he handed her an apple, "make it work."

"Okay" she exhaled, "but I can't promise much, I've only ever gotten it to work twice."

She placed the apple into the cabinet, and recited the incantation, inaudibly. She peered inside, and the apple had disappeared. She repeated the process, and the apple returned, without even a scratch upon it's shiny green surface.

"Holy hell" spat Draco, "you did it! But, how?"

"Wait…" she said, peering at the apple, "that was far too easy."

She ran over to a nearby table, one that she had hidden under a few months ago, and searched around for a knife. She found one, hiding in the drawer of a china cupboard. She took the knife and sliced open the apple. Nearly the entire core had been removed.

"Dammit…" she heard Draco curse under his breath, "I thought you could fix it"

"I said I could _work_ it. I had no idea that it was even broken."

She circled around the cabinet a few times, peering at the black wood, and steel detailing. Her fingers ran across the wood, checking for any missing pieces. She then crawled underneath, and did the same. Nothing seemed to be wrong, everything looked like it was in perfect condition. Then, she opened the cabinet doors, and climbed inside, checking every inch.

"there's nothing…"she said, puzzled, "it's in perfect condition! I can't find one blasted thing wrong with it."

She backed up, staring at the cabinet in confusion. The two of them searched for several minutes, trying to find something wrong. At one point, Lixella stood up on a table to check the top. There was nothing wrong with it, from what they could see. After nearly two hours of checking for loose seams, and placing random objects inside, the two of them gave up.

"What?" she mumbled, leaning against the table.

"I have no idea" said Draco, "I can't figure out what's wrong with the bloody thing. I've tried everything. Enchantments, charms, I've even tried using dittany on it! I can't get it to send anything back!"

"dear god" she said, placing her face in her hands, "how have you not gone mad up here?"

"don't worry, that happened a while back. It'll probably happen to you too."

"That's nice to know" she glared at him.

They sat there for a few minutes, staring at the vanishing cabinet. The process eluded Lixella, she had no idea how to fix it. Eventually, they both gave up, and headed towards the entrance. Just as they reached towards the door, a shrill scream, followed by a clanking noise, came from the other side. Draco held out an arm, so Lixella couldn't pass.

"We can't leave, yet" he said, "that's the signal. It means that someone is outside."

"Oh, great…so how long do we have to wait?" she asked.

"I dunno, I usually wait a few more hours." he said.

Lixella plopped into a nearby desk, and hit her head on the top of it. She was not excited about staying in the room. Jynx was probably sitting in the dorm, right then, wondering why she wasn't at dinner. She wished that they could leave. She wasn't happy about having to help with a plot to kill Dumbledore. What was worse, was that she accepted it, out of fear. Lixella looked down at the ground, remembering that meeting with Voldemort, and how she'd accepted the job, feeling extremely weak as she sat there.

"you're not weak" said Draco, still staring at her.

"What? How did you know that?" she looked at him puzzled.

"Occlumency, my aunt's been teaching me."

"Wow! That's….impressive actually. My mother tried to teach me occlumency, I failed miserably. It's really hard to get."

"Not when you have _my_ aunt" he sighed and sat down next to her.

"wait? So you were just dilly dallying around in the private confines of my mind?"

He nodded. "and just _how_ long have you been doing this?"

"let's just say" he smirked, "you have some interesting thoughts about me."

"Ugh, I hate you sometimes" she punched him in his right arm, "have you forgotten what I did to your aunt, after she pulled that?"

"Nope, trust me, I haven't. But you wouldn't do that to me, surely."

"don't put yourself _too_ far above everyone else, Draco."

He reached an arm across her back, leaned down, and kissed her.

"I'll try" he said, "not promising anything, though. You're head is umm…a pretty interesting place."

They sat for about another hour before finally leaving the room of requirement. Lixella laughed a few more times at Crabbe and Goyle's lovely transformations. They were headed back to the dungeons, when Lixella remembered why she had gone to dinner so early in the first place.

"Dammit!" she said, "I forgot to go to the library for my paper. It's still fairly bright outside, I'll see you guys later."

She waved good bye. And headed up the stairs towards the library. She was marching up a moving staircase, when she bumped into something she couldn't see. When she got to her feet, she saw Harry lying on the ground, but only half of him was visible.

"Harry?" she asked, staring at the top half of him.

As he stood up, the rest of him was revealed. Then, out of nowhere, an old cloak appeared at his feet.

"What's that?" she gasped, staring at the cloak.

"Nothing" he said, picking it up and putting it in his bag.

"No…" she stared at him, shocked, "that's an invisibility cloak, isn't it?"

"ugh" he sighed, "yeah, it is. Don't tell anyone I have it, okay?"

He began heading back up the stairs. Lixella followed closely after him.

"How did you get one?" she inquired, "Why were you using it? Were you sleuthing?"

"Okay, yes…I was sleuthing. You can't tell anyone though.."

"Sure, not a soul, what did you find out?"

"Since you're the only one who seems to have any sense, I'll tell you. I've been tailing Malfoy."

"Really?" she couldn't believe it. He was the one that they had been trying to avoid.

"Yeah, he's doing something in the room of requirement. I don't know what, but I'm going to find out pretty soon. Swear you won't mention this to anyone?"

"Yeah" she looked at him, frazzled, "Sure…no one. But, Harry, I think that you _need_ to back off of Draco…"

"Since when were the two of you on a first name basis?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"I spent the break at his house, remember. But, really….please back off, he's not doing anything". She tried to keep a straight face, hiding her arms behind her back. Harry stared at her left arm, then back up at her face, he looked puzzled.

"anything else happen over break, Lixella?" he said, heading down the stairs, towards her, "anything, particularly interesting?"

"No" she answered. He was very good at interrogation, almost better than Voldemort, Lixella could hardly keep a straight face. "Why would anything have happened, Harry?"

"Nothing" he peered at her hidden arm, "just a feeling. Show me your arm, Lixella"

"you prick!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the entire room, "you think I've become a death eater, don't you?"

"Well" he started, "if you're not, then why don't you just show me your left arm."

"How dare you, Harry!" she screamed, "It's because I'm a pure-blood isn't it? Huh, that must be why…I can't believe you, I thought you were different."

She began racing down the stairs, heading off towards the Slytherin dorm. She didn't care about her paper anymore, she just wanted to get as far from Harry as possible. If he found out that she was a death eater, he wouldn't possibly understand, or believe, her explanation. He had been suspicious of her ever since that day in Diagon alley. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he figured it out. Unfortunately, she was terrible at lying to him.

She stopped out in front of the entrance to the Slytherin dorm. Could she tell Draco that Harry was on to him? If she did, then Draco would go after Harry. Lixella sat outside of the portrait hole, wondering what to do. This all seemed so terribly complicated. She hated having to figure this out on her own, if only she could see her parents, or Cordellia. But, she had to do this by herself, no one could help her. She was just a 6th year student, not even of age, trying to figure all of this out. It seemed, to her that she would just have to keep secrets, for now.

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><p>Chapter 19 is finally over! Next is chapter 20...it may be a little long, just because it's chapter 20 :D<p>

DizzyPotter: Voldemort knows EVERYTHING! He can see into your _soul_!

indigofrisbee: It was a pretty crazy chapter, I try to make Voldemort as scary and insane as possible!

Thanks for the reviews guys, please send more, I love hearing from y'all ^_^

See you soon!


	21. Parchment 20: Going Soft

Hello my lovely readers! Welcome to Chapter 20! I've been avoiding Nym and Marceline for long enough, I simply must write them in. I feel like I've spent far too much time developing Lixella and Draco's relationship, but, oh well, this is a work in progress after all!

anyhow thank you to xXMizz Alec VolutriXx (I've been spelling your name wrong this whole time *slaps myself*

also to indigofrisbee, and DizzyPotter...for thier reviews, i will respond at the end of the chapter!

And, a special thanks to alissimorangerocks, and MahoganyFelicis66 for favoriting me and my story!

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 20: Going Soft

The large stain glass windows went racing past her. Each of them pouring out a thin layer of afternoon sun. the wind whipped by her face, as did the sounds and bustling of the busy hallway. She was holding tight to the hand of her best friend, Nym Muse. She had been running for a while now, but didn't know where they were going.

"They're singing" said Nym, peering back as they sped across the second floor of Lunareth. "It's up in the planetarium, you have to see…I can't believe he got it to work."

Lixella did not question her. She had learned, long ago, to just go along with whatever crazy adventure Nym had made up in her head.

They stopped at a large tower. Inside of the tower, two staircases, made of iron, circled around each other, moving like a double helix. They both stepped onto a platform, and were lifted up by the moving stairs, to the top of the tower.

At the top was a large open area, covered by a glass dome, that sparkled brilliantly in the sun. At night, there were carvings on the glass that would glow and connect the passing stars above. But, at this time of day, it was just a sky view of the Lunareth school grounds.

Nym dragged Lixella over to the northern side of the dome. She pointed into the distance, there gliding above the school, were two phoenix birds. They were whimsically streaming around one another, singing a lovely tune. It sounded like a lullaby, being sung by a single whistling flute.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Nym asked, gazing at the two birds.

Just as Lixella went to answer, the floor collapsed form under her. She was falling, watching the crystal dome become smaller. She winced as white light began to surround her.

When her eyes adjusted, she found herself standing in a muggle dentist office. She stood behind the receptionist at the desk. Upon looking to the left, she saw a little girl with frazzled hair, holding the hand of an older lady in a dentist uniform. Lixella turned the corner to follow them, and walked through the office doorway, only to find a large room full of strange pictures. It was a stone tower with a humble spiraling staircase, and a kitchen. A witch with pale yellow hair was madly pouring ingredients into a large cauldron. Every now and then, she would sniff the cauldron, eyeing it with great intent. Then, she reached for some kind of dark liquid, upon pouring it in, the cauldron exploded. Lixella flew backwards from the explosion, and landed on soggy dirt.

She lifted herself to her elbows, and peered around. She sat in a dense forest, full of thick trees. It smelled of honey suckle and pond water. She heard laughing in the distance, and moved towards it. Two kids were running around a clearing, ducking and hiding from each other. They would peek out of the tall grass every so often, and throw acorns or sticks towards the other.

"hahaha…you'll never defeat me, stupid sissy girl!" yelled the small boy as he climbed atop a hill. "Where are you, come out and fight me?" he yelled. Then, a small acorn hit him in the back of the head. "Ouch!" he screamed.

"Yargh!" a small girl leapt out from behind a bush, and pushed him down the hill and into a mud puddle. She then removed a stick from the ground and held it up triumphantly. "My name is Lixella, and I am conqueror of this hill! Bow down to me, peasant, for you have lost!"

"No fair, you attacked from behind…I can't see that" said the boy.

"Duh, that's kind of the point. Gosh , Draco, don't you understand how to play war?"

Lixella watched as little Draco began flinging mud at her childhood self. She began laughing, she was happy to have recovered this memory.

"The inner eye…" shouted a voice from the distance, and Lixella began shooting backwards.

She landed in her chair, not realizing that she had been hobbling backwards the whole time, and fell to the ground with a "thud". Jynx began laughing hysterically, and Lixella looked around to find herself back in divination class. They had been staring into a crystal ball for the past few minutes, trying to travel to a vision in the past. She took a deep breath in, and got up from the ground, pushing her chair back into her table.

"You alright?" asked Luna, "I could've sworn I saw you in my memory for a second. It isn't good to do that, you can pick up nasty Wrackspurts along the way."

"Fine.." said Lixella, sitting down, "what's the professor on about?"

"You had a vision, Lixella?" asked professor Trelawny, her eyes magnified behind her large spectacles.

"Yes, actually, several" she answered, "of places I've never seen!"

"Ah!" shouted the professor, "that brings us to our next lesson, vision traveling. A complicated and complex task. I'll save that for later though, some of you seem to have fallen asleep from your gazing. Class dismissed!"

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><p>Later that night, at dinner, Lixella relayed her journey through people's memories, to the rest of the table.<p>

"My mom" said Luna, "that was her with the exploding cauldron, the day she died. It was one that I was thinking of during class. That's interesting, I didn't know you could hop through other people's memories."

"Sounds to me like you may have taken a trip into Hermione's head too!" said Neville, "her parent's are dentists in the muggle world."

"So, even as a kid, ya were beatin up on Draco?" Jynx questioned, "pushing him down a hill, flickin' acorns. I wish I'd known ya back then! Ya seemed great!"

"Jynx, I just want to know, why do you hate him so much?" asked Lixella, "I mean besides the obvious being an asshole to everyone around him. You seem to be almost as bitter as Hermione."

"Yeah, I am" she said, "When I first joined in Slytherin we didn't pay much attention to each other. It weren't until everyone's first visit ta Hogsmeade, tha' he really go ta me. Ya see, I didn' really get anyone in the Slytherin dorm, I was friends with people from other houses. Fer some reason, on this day, he decided to point out somethin' about my friend Ariel. She used ta be in Slytherin, but was taken out of school afta' she was attacked by a plant in Herbology. I missed her, and Draco decided ta make some snarky comment about how she was attacked for being friends with a blood traitah. So, I did wha' I do best, I punched him in his little greasy face. Ever since then, he's been afraid of me, an' so has the res' o' slytherin…prolly why you're the only one who talks to me."

"What a jack ass!" sighed Lixella, as she massaged her temples. It was stories like these that made her question why she was in love with him. All she ever heard, from anyone, were things about how he was such an insufferable prick. She didn't blame them for disliking him, he put off a terrible personality towards people who weren't in his circle. He wasn't like that all the time though, and Lixella knew, all too well, why he wasn't. He had just gone his whole life, striving for the approval of others, being told that there was only one way to achieve it. He was told that, he only needed the approval from certain people, and no one else mattered. In order to get it, he would have to act like the type of person that only that one group of people would like, an asshole.

Growing up in high society did this to people often, Lixella would watch her mother and father change before her eyes, every time they attended some high class social event. It sickened her, that there were people in her life that changed themselves for others. Lixella wasn't innocent of this either, she changed in front of her aunt and uncle, her friends, and especially in front of Voldemort. She sat there, listening to the conversation, and thinking about Nym.

Then, Illunia landed in front of her, grasping two letters in her claws. Lixella removed them, petted her owl, and Illunia flew off. She unraveled the first one, it was a message from Nym.

_Dear Lixella, _

_I know we haven't talked all year, but I have such wonderfully dreadful news. I have finally achieved our plans of crushing Mickey to the ground. In November, I set up a trap for him. It consisted of making him my partner in a "project" for our potions class. I had him help me brew a very complicated poly-juice potion. I told him that it was a potion for good luck, being the dimwit he is, he believed me. Upon finishing the brew, I told him to try some. His face turned scaly and blue as he transformed into a merman. _

_The school found the whole thing a scandal, and instantly put me on the top of the list as the school prankster. I got detention for several weeks, but it was worth it, because he remained in that state for a good 5 days. I was required to apologize to him, and help Dr. Waverly brew him a cure. _

_However, Lixella, I am sad to report that, within the week I spent curing him, we actually began talking. I, at this moment, do apologize wholeheartedly to you, my very best friend. I have done something unforgivable. I, Nym Muse, am dating Mickey Mageling. The worst part is, I am very happy to be with him. _

_Please Lixella, I am begging you to not hate me, he's really a lot better of a person than he shows. I wish you could meet the real him, the one that I like so much. _

_I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope that you'll still accept me as your friend._

_Sincerely, _

_Nym Muse _

_(The girl who gave in) _

Lixella chuckled, she was anxious to reply to this letter. She was also happy that she wasn't the only girl who was in love with a two faced boy. She then picked up the other letter, that was bound in a blue envelope, and opened it.

_Dear Lixella,_

_I know that we haven't spoken in years. But, it has come to my attention that you are now aware of our family's past. I am now ready to let you into the family room. I cannot wait to see you again. You must have grown into a lovely young woman, just like my sister, your mother. I know that you are in school right now, so this will all have to wait until your school year is done. Please, write me when you are finished with classes, and I will arrange to take you back to the Duskwood Estate. I am so very happy that you have finally found the banshees, and met them, they are the whole reason that you are alive. _

_I love you very much, and can't wait to see you!_

_Sincerely, _

_Your Aunt Marceline_

"Finally, a letter from my aunt" she said

"Really, is she gonna' let ya into tha' room?"Jynx said, snatching the letter from her hand.

"Yes, at the end of the school year. I'll be able to go home for a bit, too. Thank goodness, I really do miss it there."

"Going home is always lovely" said Luna, as she gazed into her glass, "it can be a bit overwhelming though."

"Yeah, especially with my Gran'" said Neville, "sometimes I think that she's just loony!"

They all burst into laughter. Jynx spat her drink out. She'd managed to turn around, so as to avoid showering Lixella, but in her attempts, she showered someone else. Blaise Zabini sat with his back to their table, directly behind Jynx. Upon being spat on, he turned several shades of red, and darted around.

"Who did that?" he shouted. Jynx tried very hard to keep her laughter down, so did the rest of them. "Who spat on me?" he shouted, "Was it you Parkinson?" he asked to Pansy who was sitting a few feet from them with one of her friends. Upon hearing this accusation, Lixella and Jynx broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Yeah, Parkinson…stop spittin' on people!" yelled Jynx.

"Oh, shut up Spakerton, I know that it was you who did it!" she shouted

Blaise turned to her, his eyes filled with rage. Jynx turned around, trying to keep her laughter in. She stood up, and extended a hand to him.

"Sorry 'bout that, Zabini" she said.

Blaise didn't take apologies well, instead he grabbed his drink cup, took a sip, and spat it out on her. He smirked as she wiped the water off of her face. She looked at him, formed a fist, and punched him hard in the jaw. The whole corner of the room, which also consisted of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, sat for a few seconds, waiting for someone to make a move. Then, Blaise got up off of the floor, and smacked Jynx on her right cheek. Lixella and Draco both stood up instantly, darted across the table, and tried to hold back their friends. Lixella was, sadly, not strong enough to force Jynx backwards, and ended up falling to the floor. Draco was only able to hold Blaise off for a second, before he ended up on the ground as well. The two of them then proceeded to remove their wands and have a duel.

This went on for only 2 minutes, before Professors McGonnagal and Snape broke them up.

"20 points from Slytherin!" shouted McGonnagal, as she forced them apart. Snape proceeded to drag the two of them, by their collars, to his office.

"You two" McGonnagal pointed to Draco and Lixella, "I can't believe I am saying this, but thank you for trying to stop it. However, should a fight ensue again, I wouldn't advise you to get in the middle of it. Back to your houses, everyone, it's nearly nightfall."

The kids in the great hall began bustling out the door. Ron Weasley, who was across the room, inhaled one more pork chop before getting up to leave. Lixella nodded to Neville and Luna as they walked off, she didn't want to get up just yet. She leaned back on the bench, and closed her eyes, wondering why Jynx was stupid enough to start a fight.

"You're friend's got quite a temper" said Draco

"Yeah…and yours doesn't?" she questioned

"No…he wouldn't have gone off if she hadn't spat on him."

"Well, you can consider us even then…"

He looked at her in confusion

"Because now, both of our close friends have been spat on by someone they don't like. Or have you forgotten about the time you let Pansy off of her leash?"

He laughed, and shook his head, "It's really funny that you hate her so much."

"It's really funny that you're friends with her! Honestly Draco, you have strange choices in friends."

"And you don't?" he questioned, "I mean really, Lixella…Looney Lovegood, Longbottom, Weasle-bee, that mu-"

"don't say it, Draco!" she shouted.

"fine…Granger, and let's not forget…Potter!" he looked over to her with disgust, "I heard you two had a nice little chat the other day. I was told that you, somehow, scared him off."

Lixella looked towards the ground, remembering her last run in with Harry, when he questioned her about being a death eater.

"Now, is there a reason he won't talk to you, anymore?" Draco asked, "or, are you finally picking the right side?"

She glared at him, "he asked to see my left arm, if you must know"

"Shit…" he cursed, "you didn't show it to him did you?"

Lixella just got up, and headed out of the great hall. Draco followed close behind her.

"You did?" he said in shock. She shook her head, "you didn't? well, what happened then?"

"I told him to piss off" she said, turning a corner sharply, "said he shouldn't suspect me, just because I'm a pure-blooded Slytherin."

"Damn, I didn't think you had it in you, telling Potter to piss off. So did he?"

"It made him shut up long enough, so that I could march back down the stairs. I think I might have scared him. You should've seen him, he looked at me like I was some kind of twisted monster"

Draco wasn't listening, he was just staring into the distance, imagining what the scene must've looked like. To him, Lixella was standing in a corridor, telling Harry that he wasn't worth her time, or anyone's. Then, after she had him whimpering in a corner, she marched away yelling about how great of a guy Draco was, and how Harry should just piss off.

"Marry me?" he asked, still dazed by his imagination.

"What?" Lixella asked in shock. She then proceeded to smack him, "Snap out of it, Draco…Whatever you're thinking, it wasn't like that!"

"You don't have to hit so hard" he mumbled under his breath.

The two of them walked through the entrance to the common room.

"I'm going to wait for Jynx to get back" Lixella said, as she sat down on a nearby couch.

"That's going to take a while" said Draco, and he headed up towards the boys dorm.

Lixella removed her potions book from her bag, and began studying how to brew a polyjuice potion.

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><p>About an hour later, Jynx and Blaise stormed through the door, both looking unhappy to be in the presence of the other. Jynx flopped down on a chair next to Lixella.<p>

"Snarky twat.." mumbled Blaise, as he headed up to the boys dormitory.

He practically crashed himself onto his bed, stuffing his face into his pillow.

"What's got you all worked up?" asked Draco, who was sitting across the circle of beds.

"That insufferable woman!" he yelled, flipping over, "I've got detention for a week now, with that hussy!"

Draco said nothing to this, but let out a short laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Blaise

"You've still got the stain on your shirt"

"ugh!" Blaise groaned and began unbuttoning his shirt

"That's what happens, mate! When you pick a fight with the wrong girl…"

"Who are you, to be judging what girls to fight with?" Blaise asked, "you fight with girls that kick your ass all the time."

"Name one"

"Oh I dunno Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger…Lixella Cruxshade seems to be very good at shutting you up!"

"I said one"

"Speaking of Cruxshade…you've been spending an awful lot of time with her, why?"

"She's uh…helping" said Draco, glancing around, "with my job"

"Really? Helping you? You trust her enough for that? Just yesterday she strung a whole slew of ruddy insults at ya! And, speaking of which, you barely fought back, you goin' soft, Draco? Has she gotten to ya?"

"That's rubbish! Me, going soft? Please, I'd throw myself off of the astronomy tower before giving into Lixella."

"Yeah?" Blaise looked at him in disbelief, "Then why have you started calling her Lixella? You two on a first name basis now?"

"What? No, we aren't"

"Sure, mate" said Blaise as he hopped back into his bed, "If I were you, I'd just admit that I'd fallen for the girl, and _pretty_ hard, from what I can tell."

"Whatever…" Draco mumbled.

He headed for the bathroom, to get ready for bed. He knew that he couldn't possibly tell anyone that he and Lixella had started dating. It had to be kept a secret, but it seemed to be catching on to others. Blaise wasn't the only one, Pansy had started avoiding him too, which he didn't mind. Crabbe had also had a similar conversation with him two days ago. It was getting complicated, keeping the two of them a secret. But, he had a reputation to uphold, and dating Lixella Cruxshade, wasn't going to help it. However, he was sure that someone would find out soon. He wondered what his friends reaction would be, if they actually figured out that they were dating.

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><p>It's over! on to chapter 21...which I think you guys are going to enjoy quite a bit!<p>

indigofrisbee: SURPRISE! and yeah, Harry is pretty suspicious at this point...shh, don't tell XD

DizzyPotter: hehe...they're girls! LOL I tried to imagine crabbe and goyle as girls when I read the book...not a pretty sight!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: I will now continue onward...TO VICTORY! and maybe pudding ^_^

Review please, and I'll see you all soon :D


	22. Parchment 21: The Bathroom

Chapter 21...now with 10% more Snape XD

But anyway, I was thinking the other night and I may take aunt Marceline and the famiy room out of this story...just because I honestly don't know where it's going.

Tell me if you think this is a good or bad idea, I may use it as an intro into a sequal for the 7th book...I'll leave it up to you guys ^_^

Anywho thanks to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, DizzyPotter, and Wini for the reviews (I will reply at the end ^_^)

and also, thanks to DizzyPotter for the author favorite

I'd like to thank all the little peoples XD

Enjoy

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><p><span>Our Time Is Running Out<span>

Parchment 21: The Bathroom

"He's tailing you, for christ sake!" she yelled, "get a clue, he's been onto you from day one. Ever since you beat him up on the train!"

"There's nothing to worry about, okay. He couldn't get in if he tried!" Draco shouted back at her.

They had been fighting for a good half an hour now. It started when Lixella ran into Harry Potter this morning. He had been avoiding her, and she wanted to apologize. However, upon starting her apology, Draco had appeared with his savage little posse, and proceeded to mess the whole thing up. Thus, Lixella made it her job to chew him out.

"But, he's one of the few people in the school that knows how to open the room."she screamed, "He's one of the few that even know of it's existence! You need to be more careful!"

"Dammit! I _am_ being careful, it's everyone else that won't get off my case."

"okay…" she calmed down, "okay…I'm sorry-I'm just, I'm worried. It's almost the end of the year, and the cabinet still won't work correctly."

"I just-I need more time!" he banged his hands on a nearby table.

"We have to figure this out, soon! I'm not letting him kill you, Draco!"

"It's not just _me_, that I'm worried about" he turned around, staring at her, "he knows….and if I can't do this, he said he'd kill you! he'd kill you, my mother, and even my father. Or worse, use the imperius curse and make me do it!"

"That _vial_ man!" she shouted, "That disgusting, slimey, slithering, loathesome little vermin! We have to-"

"No, there is no _we_, Lixella" he grabbed her shoulders, "You have to stay, and be safe! I can't have you just trotting around, anyone could get to you."

"What-what do you mean?" she was confused. Was he leaving her, out of fear?

"I-I've got to go…" he said, and rushed out of the room.

"Dr-Draco….No! you come back here, right now!" she ran out after him.

He had already gotten pretty far, he was heading upstairs to the second floor. Lixella followed close behind him, yelling for him all the way there. She would not let him just leave her standing there. He may have thought that this was a good idea, but Lixella knew better. He needed her, now more than ever. He wouldn't succeed without her help. He turned a corner, sharply, and slammed the door to the boys bathroom behind him. She tried to push it open, but he had barricaded himself against the other side.

"You open this door, Draco Malfoy!" she shouted, banging on the doorway. After a few minutes of this, she finally gave up. "Dammit, boy", she slumped down to the floor, "you'll just never get it, will you?"

She, then, got up and headed down the hallway. Her head was hung low in defeat, and it took everything to keep her feet moving. An aching pain welled up in her stomach, making her nauseous. Suddenly, Harry Potter pushed past her, he looked extremely determined to get wherever he was going. Then, it hit her, he was going to run into Draco.

"Harry…Harry where are you going?" she shouted up to him.

"To finally catch a rat" he spat, marching up the stairs.

Lixella's face turned into a portrayal of shock and terror. She had to go find help. She rushed down the stairs, and to the dungeon. After turning a few corners, she found Snape's office. She hit the door so hard, that it nearly knocked over.

"Professor-please, come quickly, Draco's in trouble!" she said, banging on the door. It swung open, Snape stood there, looking nearly frightened.

"What's wrong, Lixella?" he asked

"It's Draco, he's in the second floor bathroom…and, I think Harry is going after him! Please, you have to help me." she begged.

The two of them rushed up the stairs. Lixella swung the door open. Apparently they had arrived just in time, because Harry was leaning over Draco, who was covered in crimson red blood. Lixella gasped.

"No-I didn't-" Harry rushed through the words.

Snape ran over to Draco and leaned down. He started whispering something, and the scars seemed to close. Lixella, however, was fixed on Harry. She stared, her eyes almost burning holes right through him. She couldn't believe that he had just nearly killed Draco. The two of them hated each other, certainly, but they'd never tried to _kill_ one another. A few seconds past, and Snape hoisted Draco up by his arm.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing, you stay here, Potter." he made his way out of the door. Lixella was almost to tears.

"Lixella, make sure he doesn't go anywhere" Snape said to her.

She nodded, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stood in front of the doorway, her arms crossed, tears pouring down her cheeks. The bathroom smelled of wet stone, and blood. Harry was still on the floor, in disbelief of what he'd just done. Lixella didn't want to say anything to him.

She walked over to a wall, and slid down it, burying her head in her knees.

"I-I'm…"he stuttered

"No" she said, coldly, "just don't talk to me, Harry. You aren't yourself right now, I want the you that actually has sense enough to not shoot deadly spells at people. Not this…"

"You act like he wasn't doing anything bad…" Harry retorted.

"Why is it _any_ of your business what he's doing?" she said, as she hit her hands hard onto the floor, causing a splash. "Did you ever think, for one second, that maybe he was under a hell of a lot more stress than he puts off. That maybe none of this shit was _supposed _to go this badly. Or did you just _assume_ that he was disgustingly evil by sheer nature?"

"What do you mean 'this shit'?" he asked, "How would you know what he's been doing, Lixella?"

Then, Harry realized it. She had become a death eater as well. This whole time, she was sticking up for him, because she was working for Voldemort too. He had been right, when he suspected her, that night in the stairwell. It was hard for him to believe it. Lixella was the first Slytherin he'd met, who didn't seem to want to kill everyone 'below' her status.

"you're one of them, aren't you, Lixella?" he looked at her with shock.

"Hold your tongue!" she spat, "Don't you think for one second that I would join those street rats _willingly_."

"Willingly?" he whispered in confusion.

Snape busted through the bathroom door. He marched down the entrance and stopped between the two of them.

"Go" he said, nodding towards the door.

Lixella left and rushed towards the hospital wing. The bottom of her robes lagged behind her, dripping with water. When she arrived, she found Madame Pomfrey applying a bottle of dittany to Draco's wounds.

"I know it's just scarring" she said, "but you look positively shaken up. I'll have to keep you here, for at least the night. You can leave tomorrow, once you've calmed down."

Madame Pomfrey then stood up, and headed towards the door. She stopped suddenly when she noticed Lixella.

"Sorry" Lixella said, "Professor Snape sent me to check on him."

"Alright then, but don't be too long. The boy is in shock."

She then headed out of the door, and into her office. Lixella walked in and grabbed a chair from a nearby bed. She then pulled it over to Draco, and sat down next to him. He was lying flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His breathing was overdrawn, and he looked shell-shocked. He turned his head towards her, and stared at her, forcing a smile. She reached over the side of bed, and held onto his outstretched hand. Tears began dripping down her face again. He took his hand and, with what strength he had, gently wiped them away.

"Crying over me, eh?" he said, even in his weakened state, he was just as snarky as ever.

"of course" she said, as she leaned over and kissed his forehead. They sat there in silence for a bit.

"I-I can't believe Harry did that to you" Lixella exclaimed as she stared at the wall.

"yeah, well…that's potter for you, always pulling something big." he sneered.

"But, you…the cruciatus curse, Draco?" she asked, "In a student bathroom, you could've been caught. They could've found out about you…they would've thrown you in Azka-"

She was quickly interrupted as a high pitched squeal was heard from the doorway. Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise came marching into the hospital wing. Pansy was squealing in terror all the way to Draco's bedside.

"Draco!" she gasped, "Oh, Dwakie, what happened to you?"

Lixella's face became buried into the corner of the mattress. She was trying to deny that Pansy was standing across the hospital bed from her. She let out a long overdrawn sigh into the sheets. Pansy suddenly noticed her presence, and glared.

"It was _her_ wasn't it, Dwakie?" she grabbed onto his sheets, "That little prat…she must've been the one who hurt you so badly."

Draco looked up at her in utter disbelief. Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle were trying to hold back laughter. Then, a loud grunt came from the side of the mattress. Lixella lifted her head up, and stared at Pansy with a look of shock and confusion.

"Are you _that _stupid? Really?" Lixella laughed, "come _on_ Pansy! If I was the one who hurt him this badly, _why_ would I be sitting by his bedside? And _before_ you got here, as well."

"Maybe you came to beg for forgiveness, Cruxshade!" she sneered.

Lixella slowly got up out of her chair, until she was at eye level with Pansy. The room became awkwardly silent. Draco had seen Lixella do this before, when she had told him off at his house. He looked to Pansy with fear in his eyes, she had no idea what she was in for.

"I was the one who _saved_ him…you despicable creature! I ran off and got Snape, who luckily knew the counter curse to whatever Harry did. And just for your information, Harry did this…not me! So, why...I ask you, why would I need to be forgiven? Also, where the _fuck_ were you, Parkinson? Sitting in the common room, doing jack _shit_ about the situation. It seems to me like you couldn't have cared less where he was. And for that matter, you insufferable twat, why the _fuck_ do you think I was the first one here? Maybe because I give two shits about who's going after him. So don't you even _try_ to pull that card on me, Parkinson!" she shot a hand to her forehead, "Dear god, I am so tired of you! Just get over yourself, Pansy!"

Everyone sat in shock for a second. Blaise was positively beaming at Lixella's speech. Draco had pushed himself up, and was now sitting against the headboard, watching the whole thing with a delighted smirk.

"How dare you!" stated Pansy, "Do you hear her, Draco?"

He merely looked over to Lixella, whose mouth was just hanging open.

"Get out of here, Parkinson!" she yelled with rage.

Pansy jumped back, startled. She stared at Lixella with large fearful eyes.

"LEAVE!" she screamed through gritted teeth, her words dripping with venom. Pansy did not hesitate this time, she darted for the door. Lixella stood there, her face watching, in shock, as Pansy stormed out of the room. She then plopped back into her chair. And buried her face back into the side of the mattress.

"Wow…"said Blaise, nearly applauding her amazing performance.

"That was bloody brilliant, Lixella" said Goyle from across the hospital bed.

"Ya know…I never did witness you go off on someone." said Draco, "that was terrifying!"

"Yeah, you could've given Voldemort a run for his money." said Crabbe.

"I didn't think she had it in her" Blaise said to Draco, "Honestly, I really underestimated this one."

"Yeah.." Draco nodded to him, "really!"

Lixella lifted her face off of the mattress. She caught her breath, and tried to calm herself down.

"How?" she looked over to Draco, "How have you been able to stand that _thing_ for this long?"

"I dunno, actually" he exclaimed, "I guess she was just there for the fluff. Ouch!"

Lixella had punched him hard in the arm.

"Fluff?" she asked, shocked.

"What?"

"You kept that girl around because she gave you compliments?" Lixella stared in disbelief, "oh, Barf! Draco, Really? Dear god, you are so full of it."

She sat back in her chair, and face palmed.

"Yeah he is" stated Blaise.

"Zabini!" Draco shrieked

"What?" he asked defensively, "you are! You _really _are, mate! Parkinson is terribly annoying! I never understood why you kept her around."

"Yeah" said Goyle, "She _is_ really annoying"

"and she screeches like a spider monkey" said Crabbe plainly.

Lixella began laughing into her palms. Draco began laughing too, as did Blaise, and Goyle.

"She spits like one too!" exclaimed Lixella through bouts of laughter.

They all began laughing even harder.

"And the shit flinging, don't forget the shit flinging!" said Blaise.

At this comment, they all began laughing like maniacs. Lixella almost turned red form lack of enough oxygen. Goyle fell out of his chair and onto the floor. Eventually they all slowed their amusement, chuckling in between breaths. The mood in the room had changed very nicely, and the atmosphere was much more open. They all sat there in an enjoyable silence for a few minutes.

"You blokes got here awful fast" said Draco suddenly, "How'd you know I was here?"

"well…" started Crabbe, "it's quite a story, actually."

"You see Harry Potter was walking down the hall, dripping wet and covered in blood." explained Goyle.

"So, naturally…" Blaise started, "the whole school knew what was up in less than a few seconds!"

"Bloody hell!" sneered Draco, "do they all know that he was covered in _my_ blood?"

"Yeah, mate" said Blaise, "that's how we knew you were here!"

"Good" scoffed Draco, "Maybe now Potter will learn a lesson about messing with me!"

"Um" Lixella exclaimed, "messing with you? Draco, you had a brawl in the bathroom, and you nearly died!"

"Yeah…so" he said, "I'm still here."

Lixella just sat back and rolled her eyes. They all sat chatting about Harry and school for a bit, but eventually, she had to leave.

"Okay, well….I've had enough of an emotional roller coaster for one night!" she said, "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to head back!"

She pushed the chair towards the other bed, "Good night" she said as she leaned down to kiss Draco. Blaise, Goyle, and Crabbe, look at them in confusion, no one had told them that the two were dating.

"You'd better be out of here tomorrow." she said to Draco, and headed towards the door.

"Good night guys! Hopefully I won't get hit with monkey crap after stepping into the girls room!" she shouted.

"Good night!" the three of them said. Draco's gaze lingered on the doorway as she left.

"You should really keep that one, mate." said Blaise, "I like that one!"

"Yeah….much better than Pansy" said Crabbe.

"For sure…" agreed Goyle.

"Yeah…" said Draco, "she's my favorite so far. I don't think I want to really look for anyone else."

"Shocker!" gasped Blaise, "you mean to tell me, that the great Draco Malfoy. The crowned prince of Slytherin house, player of the century….." he paused.

"No, you can keep going!" Draco smirked. He was thoroughly enjoying the wonderful titles.

'You mean to tell me that you…the boy who puts up with Pansy Parkinson, has found a girl that he doesn't just want for the snogging?"

"Yeah" he said, leaning back against the head board, "I have."

The other three stared at him in disbelief.

"Well" said Blaise, turning to Crabbe and Goyle, "I never saw _this_ coming! When did this happen?"

"Winter break, Zabini." he stated, staring into the distance, "let's just say it was….a really _damn_ good Christmas!" He raised his arms up and rested his hands behind his head.

"When did you all multiply?" asked, a rather frazzled looking, Madame Pomfrey. "Do you know what time it is? If you don't get to your houses, you'll be given detention. And, no, I am not writing you a doctor's note!"

Blaise, Goyle, and Crabbe, all said good night, and headed for the dorm. Draco laid down, pulling the sheets over him. For the first time in a while, he felt like the most accomplished guy in the school. He, finally, had a girl that his friends could actually stand, and that he could parade around in front of Potter, with pride. Truly, he had just won the jackpot.

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><p>Aw...sad panda face...that's the end :(<p>

Don't worry, because I will have the next chapter up fairly soon :D

anyways, time for review replies:

Winni: Thaaaannnkkk Yoooouuuu...this particular review made very happy ^_^

DizzyPotter: Yes...blaise better watch his back, Jynx really doesn't like him at the moment!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: bloody hilarious comedy is what i'm best at XD...the non-bloody kind is just not cool enough!


	23. Parchment 22: Eureka, it works!

Golly you guys, chapter 22 already! This is coming along nicely, we're fast approaching the end of the year, and the big finale.

I've decided to make a sequel to this, with a bit more about Lunareth in it!

Also, thanks to Katchile94, andEvaReads for the favorites

and, DizzyPotter, Ikisha, xXMizzAlec VolturiXx for the reviews (I shall respond at the end!)

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 22: Eureka, it works!

Jynx sat at the work table, staring blankly at the many thousands of papers in front of her. She was stuck in detention, with two people she despised. Professor Snape was the first, the second, Blaise Zabini. Now, Jynx understood her hatred towards Professor Snape, all things considered, he wasn't exactly everyone's favorite teacher. However, her hatred for Blaise originated from something entirely different, association. She hated Draco Malfoy, therefore, since Blaise was one of his mindless little followers, she hated him too. She never had much more of a reason than that. Then again, she never needed more of a reason.

She peered down at the potions list in front of her. Professor Slughorn had asked Snape if he could use her and Zabini for a project of his. Since Snape had been doing detention with Harry for the past few Saturdays, he was more than happy to give them both a job. She was required to alphabetize the supply shelf. Once she had the cards in order, Blaise was required to find their matches, and move items accordingly.

"I can't believe that I'm stuck here on a Saturday" Blaise said, unpleasantly, "and with you!"

"Dried dragon dung" she read aloud, "Aw' look…There's a lovely picture of you next to it!"

Blaise took the card and there, next to the words, was a picture of a Dragon's backside.

"Oh, Clever one" he said sarcastically, "Twat"

"Bettah than what you're comin' up wit'?"

"Really, who uses dried dragon dung as an ingredient?" he asked staring at the card in confusion. Jynx chuckled, and flipped through a few.

"Here's a good one" she said, handing it to him.

"Troll Sludge?" he squinted, making sure he had read it correctly.

"Yep!" Jynx laughed, "Ya gotta wondah what he's doin' with all of this!"

"Ick, potions teachers just bother me sometimes," he handed her the card.

"Yeah, really"

They spent the afternoon alphabetizing cards, having a laugh every time they found a good one. It was, in fact, a rather pleasant Saturday for both of them. They were dismissed just before dinner. After deciding that they were both starving, they headed down to the great hall.

"Full of it?" Jynx asked, taking a sip from her water glass, "I never would've thought, you would find Draco to be full of it."

"What?" Blaise asked in shock, "he's completely full of it! Why wouldn't I think that? it's not hard to see."

"Well, you're one a his righ' hand guys. I just assumed you were, ya know, jus' as thick headed!"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty stubborn guy. But, I'm not some minion, I mean, I'm sure there are things about your friends that you don't like."

"o' course not…" she said a bit taken back.

"Oh, come on, everyone's got a critique for everyone else. What about, Lixella?"

"Well" Jynx pondered, "She is a bit, ovah everythin'. Like, she's really strong willed, but I think it's so strong tha' she has a hard time takin' opinions from otha's, ya know. She doesn't really…critique herself, much. An' she really values her brain…which is why she hates people who can't think fa' themselves."

"Must be why she hates Pansy so much."

"Naw" Jynx said, pushing her food around with her fork, "She hates Pansy, 'cuz Pansy spat on her. I mean, Pansy is pretty judgemental, but I think Lixella is as well…Well, Bloody hell!" She said, stabbing her fork into her steak.

"What?"

"You've got me bad mouthin' Lixella! Is this a joke?" She stood up, and leaned over the table, until her face was inches from his. "If this is a ploy, so you can go off an' make fun of her" she pointed her knife towards his face, "I'll beat you 'till you're blue!"

"No!" said Blaise, intimidated by the knife's distance from his face. "I was just asking. Trust me, there are plenty of things that I don't' like about my friends." Jynx sat back down, slowly, eyeing him.

"Really, I mean, damn" he said, "I'm sure _you_ could go on all day about Draco."

"Oh yeah, I could!"

"Exactly, tha's what I mean. I see the exact stuff you see, I'm just better at putting up with it."

"Oh, Really?"she questioned, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I mean, he's that way for a reason. You're the way you are for a reason, so am I, so is Lixella. It's not like any of us were born without flaws. He just seems to…act more, on his flaws."

"Ya know, you ain't half bad of a guy" Jynx said, getting up from the table.

They made their way down the hall, and towards the Slytherin dorm. Jynx was happy to know that at least one other person in Slytherin, wasn't a complete ass. They sat down in the common room and began their homework, having small conversations about their lives.

"Nope, I hate him 'cuz he made fun of my friend Ariel. I don't know if ya remember her, she was the weird girl, who was damn good at potions. She switched schools afta' a plant nearly chopped her arm off in Herbology."

"Ah!" Blaise said, "Ariel Boylan, I remember her. Didn't talk much, when did that happen? Like, third year?"

"Yep" Jynx stared at her Herbology book, "I never really forgave him for that. It wasn't like he really knew her."

"It's not like he really knows a lot of people. I mean, he does, but they're all the wrong ones, I think. Keeping up appearances, ya know?"

They both turned back to their text books. About an hour past before the common room was completely empty. Jynx had fallen asleep on the couch, her textbook still open in her lap. Blaise just sat there, trying his hardest to concentrate on his potions homework, and failing. He peered over to Jynx, a small smile forming on his face He liked this girl, she seemed to have some kind of spark to her. It was something that Blaise hadn't seen in a girl for a long time. Most of the girls he'd met in Slytherin, all seemed to just complain about their lives, or about the lives of their friends. Jynx, for him, was a nice breath of fresh air. With her "take no shit" kind of attitude, she truly was her own original person. His gaze shifted to the clock on the wall, it was getting to be around 7 p.m.

"Where the bloody hell is he?" he asked under his breath.

He hadn't seen Draco since he left this morning to attend his detention with Jynx. It was unhealthy, he thought, how much time Draco spent on his 'mission'. Then again, he halfway thought that he locked himself in there just ot be alone with Lixella for a few minutes. He had no actual idea of what had been going on all year. Just that Draco had been assigned a very important task, and that Lixella had, somehow, been pulled into it.

~In the distant Room of Requirement~

The cabinet just stood there, taunting the both of them. They stared back at it, confused, and tired.

"How?" Lixella yelled, "How are you this complicated? You're just a damn cabinet!"

"welcome to my year" sneered Draco.

Lixella circled around the cabinet once more, then gave it a hard kick.

"Work!" she shouted. She stumbled backwards, hitting into a pile of chairs. She just stared back at the cabinet, dumbstruck.

"That bloke Burke said he'd have it fixed by now" said Draco, "and your uncle, isn't he supposed to be helping?"

"Yeah…" Lixella said, cradling her head in her hands, "He is…"

Lixella began to ponder if her uncle was doing anything to help.

"He said that your father told him 'only a true Cruxshade can fix it' , surely he meant you, right?"

"yeah, I guess" she was trying to put it all together in her head. She'd never watched her father mend the cabinet, it always just worked for him. Then it hit her, like a sack of bricks.

"Why the hell did my father need to come to Hogwarts?" she asked aloud.

"What?"

"My father had no business here, so why would he need to travel here? Draco, how long has this been here?"

"I dunno, a boy got lost in it last year, that's how I heard about it."

"I learned on the one in bourgin and burke when I was 11, it's been 6 years since then. So this one must've moved. Perhaps, there's nothing wrong with it, at all" she paced the room.

"oh no…" said Draco, "There's something wrong, obviously!"

"No, not with this one, it's just been moved. If only I could get to the other one, then I could see if there's anything wrong with it."

Several seconds past, they both just stared at the cabinet.

"That's it!" yelled Lixella, she looked over to Draco, "send me!"

"You're mad…how will you get back?" he asked

"I'll travel back through it…I'm sure I can fix it, if I can figure out what's wrong on the other side."

"I'm not risking you coming back in two pieces, Lixella, or without your insides." he stared at her, confused, "I'd like to keep you in one piece, if you don't mind?"

"Just do it, Draco" she said, climbing into the cabinet, "clearly there's nothing wrong with sending, it's the other one, sending it back. I just have to have a look at it. So send me…or would you rather tell Voldemort you decided to keep me around instead of going through with the mission?"

Draco shuddered at the sound of his name, "Fine, get in"

"Do not mutter the return incantation" she said, "I'll do it myself. Just wait for me, okay?"

He nodded.

Lixella climbed into the cabinet. There was a weird sensation of her floating, everything became white, as she drifted across a strange tunnel. Suddenly, she landed on a wooden surface. She opened the door, and peered out. Sure enough, she was in Bourgin and Burkes, completely whole. She stepped out of the cabinet, and looked around for any people. She seemed to be in a cellar. It was dark and smelled like musty wood, and dust. The cabinet before her resembled the one at the school. Lixella looked around it, checking for damages.

Her eyes moved across the black wooden finish, then stopped suddenly, on a small indention beside the key hole. It had been carved into a small willow tree. Something triggered her memory, and she pressed a finger to the keyhole. Suddenly, a compartment opened on the bottom of the cabinet. Lixella peered through the crack, there seemed to be something wedged inside of it. She squeezed her pointer and thumb into the compartment. After several minutes of failed attempts at fishing for the item, she caught it, and yanked it out. To her surprise it was a piece of parchment, she quickly unraveled it.

_To the true Cruxshade,_

_Only you would be able to remember the compartment I showed you. I've only ever told one person about this, so only you could find it. I always intended to give this to you, my darling daughter. I hope it serves you well in life. If you are reading this, it means that I am no longer on this earth. If so, then, I would like to tell you that I love you, my Lixella. You are the light of my life, as well as your mother's. We love you with all of our hearts. Keep your mother close, love your aunt and uncle, and above all, my dearest daughter, do not forget to love in return. _

_Good bye, Lixella_

_William Cruxshade_

_ (your loving Father) _

Lixella was nearly to tears. Even in death, her father had managed to help her through her struggles. She missed him desperately. She flipped over the parchment, on the back were instructions on how to work the vanishing cabinet. It was complicated, but possible. She climbed back inside, knocked on the door three times with her wand, and chanted the incantation that her father had scribbled. She chanted it 4 times out loud, and then 4 times, inaudibly. She felt a floating sensation, as she drifted through the tunnel again. She landed on the wooden floor, and opened her eyes. She checked to make sure she had come back in one piece, pulling everything out of her pockets. Then, the door opened.

Draco's jaw nearly fell to the floor. Lixella was waving at him, in one complete piece. A smile formed across his face. He let out a rather excited scream, and reached in to grab her. He hoisted her up into the air, and sat her back down.

"H-How did you?" he asked, examining the cabinet once more.

"My dad, he seems to be very good at keeping secrets" she said, holding up the parchment.

"Bloody hell…" he laughed, "of course! You're a genius!"

He picked her up in a hug, and spun her around a few times. Once he stopped, he leaned forward and gave her the longest, most enthusiastic, kiss that she'd ever received. He then began jumping around the room, whooping with excitement. His cheers echoing through the room.

"Hello" a voice called from a distance, "is someone there?"

"Shit!" Draco spat, under his breath, "someone got in here? How?"

He suddenly dashed around a corner. Lixella followed closely behind him. He stopped beside a large wardrobe. She peeked around the side, and saw professor Trelawny, pacing the room in confusion. Then, Draco removed something from his pocket, and threw it towards her. Everything went pitch black. He ducked around the wardrobe, and darted in front of professor Trelawny. Lixella looked around, unsure of what to do. Then, she saw a glimmer of light, and heard the doors begin to close. A hand grabbed hers, and they both sprinted out of the exit. Luckily, no one had seen them. They dashed around a few corners, and ducked into a nearby classroom.

"That was close" Draco said, releasing her from a tight embrace. He peered his head out of the classroom door, and saw nothing.

"Do you think she saw us?" asked Lixella.

"No" he said, "but she might go tell someone. If she does then…then we'll have to do it tonight, and really soon."

"tonight?" Lixella whispered, "I don't know, Draco. Do you think you're ready?"

"Yeah" he said as he leaned down and kissed her, "I'm going to do it. I'm going to prove to everyone that I can do it. Tonight, I'll finally be able to prove myself."

"But, Draco" she started, "You really don't need to…I mean, is it really _necessary_ that you do this?"

"Yes, Lixella, I can do this. I'm tired of everyone saying I can't. I _have_ to prove them wrong!" he stared into her dark purple eyes, "Plus, if I _don't_, he'll kill you…he'll kill you, and my mom, and my dad…he'll kill me. I don't have a choice."

"Just know that you're better than this" she said, "You're so much better than this."

"I can do this, Lixella. Now, come on, we have to alert everyone else."

They sped back towards the room of requirement, checking for lurkers. Once they had entered, Draco removed a coin from his pocket, and proceeded to whisper to it. Lixella didn't really have time to ask questions, for she was being pulled between towering piles of random objects. They reached the vanishing cabinet after a few minutes.

"They're getting to Bourgin and Burkes" he said, "When they get there, I want you to go through and retrieve them. I've told them that you have the instructions, so have them ready to use."

They waited for a few more minutes, and eventually Draco stood up, motioning for Lixella to enter the cabinet. She nodded, and turned to open the doors. Suddenly, He grabbed onto her sleeve and pulled her back around. She went flying into his chest, and he caught her lips on his, kissing her with as much passion as he could.

"I don't know what's going to happen tonight" he said, pulling away, "but, whatever does, I promise, I'll make you and everyone else, very proud."

"Draco" she said, brushing one of his hairs back into place, "I am already, and will always be, so very proud of you. Just…please…promise me you won't, make the wrong decision."

"Of course not" he said. He kissed her one last time, and helped her into the cabinet.

"and, Lixella" he said, before closing the doors, "I love you, know that!"

"I love you, too, Draco" she said. He closed the doors.

She chanted the incantation in her head, and landed in Bourgin and Burkes. She removed the parchment from her pocket, and opened the cabinet doors.

"Hello, little Lixl…" said Bellatrix from outside, "Sorry"

Suddenly, Bellatrix snatched the parchment from her hands, and shot a spell at her. Lixella toppled over, landing on the ground, unconscious.

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><p>Uh oh! Cliffhanger! can you pull yourself back up?<p>

Thanks for reading guys!

Ikisha: Thank you, I'm only here to entertain!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Blaise and Jynx, are you psychic?NO SPOILERS! okay, maybe a few ^_^

Dizzy Potter: Yeah, I kind of really hate Pansy in the books! plus, Draco needed a boost before going off to kill Dumbledore, he's had a bad year. Also, YOU ARE NOT ANNOYING! I adore the reviews on every chapter! please continue ^_^

Also, please review guys, I know that's such an annoying statement, but the only reason that this is so long is because of the good feedback the first 3 chapters brought me ^_^

See you guys soon!


	24. Parchment 23: Foreboding

Moving right along to chapter 23! Wow, we're getting close guys!

Thank you for all of the favorites from: Sammy-O Luvs the Ice, and nefieslab

Also for the reviews: Wini, DizzyPotter, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, and also to Lily (I'll respond at the end)

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Our Time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 23: Foreboding

She was out for what seemed like only a few seconds, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out a nicely detailed ceiling. It resembled one she had seen before, at Malfoy manor. She shot up, and looked around the room. She was, for certain, sitting next to the fireplace, where she'd sat during Christmas eve.

"How?" she asked, staring at the fireplace, and calming the buzzing noise in her head.

"Ah, you're awake" said Narcissa, from across the room, "good, then I can fill you in."

She was sitting in a chair to Lixella's right, she closed her book and set it next to a small glass of wine, sitting on a nearby table.

"What? Mrs. Malfoy? Why am I here?" she asked.

"oh, dear" Narcissa chuckled, "because you are important to Draco, of course."

She gazed out of the window. "He's about to kill Dumbledore. If he doesn't, we'll be killed. My only son" she said distantly, "about to become a murderer. All because, his father made a mistake. It's so cruel!"

"I agree!" Lixella exclaimed, "I can't believe he has to do this, it's just so…so"

"stupid? Childish?" asked narcissa, "Voldemort is too scared to face Dumbledore himself. So, instead, he sends someone that he knows wants to prove their worth. Someone who is too young to understand, just yet, what he has gotten himself into."

"I think that when he goes to face him, he won't be able to do it." Lixella said, "Not because I think less of him, but I know that he's a better person than that."

"Yes, he is. He just can't see it in himself. I can only hope that Snape will keep his promise to me. That he'll protect my son, and carry out the deed."

"It's a terrible thought, to wish the act of murder upon someone else" said Lixella, "but, Mrs. Malfoy, I hope that Snape does it, as well."

They both gazed out of the window for a while. Lixella was looking up at the moon, wondering where Cordellia was.

"how long was I out for?" she asked

"about an hour, I thought you would never wake up"

"oh…wow"

"I'm glad he has you, Lixella" said Narcissa, still gazing out the window, "I'm glad that…that you two found each other. Sometimes I think, that he doesn't listen to me anymore. That he just goes off in his own head, and tunes me out. He's getting to that age, but…you seem to be able to whip him back into shape."

"I suppose so" Lixella said

"No, Lixella, it's true. You keep him in check, and he provides you with an outlet. You both do, an outlet for your anger. It's a good thing to have. I hope you two stay that way. I hope you two stay together."

"Gosh" Lixella stared at her, wide eyed, "thank you Mrs. Malfoy"

"How many times do I have to tell you, dear?" she said, "call me Narcissa."

"Thank you, Narcissa" Lixella said.

Lixella curled into the right corner of the couch. She was thinking about death, and murder. There seemed to be a terrible theme of it this past year. It started with her parents, and now, she may even join them. She was confused, about the banshees, her future, and even about Draco. She pulled her knees in, and wrapped her arms around them. Then, it came to her, that familiar feeling, a feeling that she hadn't felt since winter, the sickening fear that evil was close by. Any minute now, Voldemort would probably come waltzing in with the news, the outcome of tonight's events, that determined so many people's future.

She looked over to Narcissa, who was staring out of the window. Lixella couldn't help but stare. Here sat a woman who, through everything, could still keep her composure. It impressed Lixella. She had been through so much this year, her husband's imprisonment, her son becoming an assassin, having Voldemort in her dining room every other week, and the ministry constantly knocking at her door. For the longest time, Lixella had thought her mother to be the strongest woman she knew. As of now, Narcissa had, surely, taken that title. She was quite a mother, constantly worried for her only son, who seemed to just shrug it off. Lixella hoped that, one day, she could love her kids as much as Narcissa loved Draco. That is, if she ever has kids, if she even survives tonight.

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><p>"Come to the other side, Draco" said Dumbledore, trying to hold himself up, "We can keep you and your family safe."<p>

Draco stood there, his wand drawn, pointed toward Dumbledore, ready to kill. However, no matter how he tried, he couldn't bring himself to utter the spell. They had been standing there for a good few minutes. Draco had a clear open shot, but he couldn't do it, he couldn't bring himself to take Dumbledore's life. It almost made him sick, the fact that he was too weak. What would everyone think of him? When he returned home, only to say he was a failure. Would they even say anything? Would his mother and Lixella be unhappy with him, at all?

"You don't understand" he said, "I have to do this!"

He couldn't accept Dumbledore's offer. It seemed easier, to change sides and run forever, but he knew that running was a bad idea. What would become of his father, who was locked away in Azkaban? They couldn't simply break him out, and run away. And, what of his friends? Voldemort would surely go after them, too. Not to mention that Dumbledore knew nothing of Lixella. Voldemort could get a hold of her much quicker than the order could. Draco suddenly realized just how many lives were threatened, because of him. This whole time, he had thought it was just Dumbledore, what a fool he'd been.

"_just promise me you won't, make the wrong decision"_ he heard Lixella's voice in his head. This whole time, he'd thought that what he was doing was right. When, in reality, he couldn't have been farther from it.

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><p>Lixella and Narcissa had been sitting in the same room for about an hour now. The silence hung in the air, boding only terrible things. It was so quiet that Lixella could hear a wolf howling off in the distance. She was still curled up in the corner of the couch, feeling just as nauseous as she did during winter. Then, the door swung open, and Lixella's spine shivered in fear. Voldemort walked in, accompanied by a man that Lixella had seen before, but couldn't stand to look at. He had tattered clothing, and a pudgy face. His face resembled that of a rat, and his posture was hunched over. Patches of greasy hair covered his body.<p>

"Good evening, ladies" said Voldemort as he entered, his black cloak billowing behind him. "Such a marvelous night isn't it?" he asked, walking over to the window.

Neither of them answered, Lixella tried to look away, Narcissa just sat, staring out of the window, her expression never changing.

"Lixella" Voldemort said, turning to her, "I was told that you were able to get the vanishing cabinet working, thus, allowing the death eaters into Hogwarts. Is this true?"

"Yes, my lord" she said, swallowing her fear, "Draco and I were able to get it working properly."

"Good match" he said, then turned to Narcissa, "You must be a proud mother, Narcissa. Knowing that your son has been able to accomplish all of this, and on his own. I'd dare say that he's more fit for the job than even his father."

Narcissa said nothing. Lixella knew that if she opened her mouth, only hatred would come out. It was awful, watching Voldemort harass her for things that he himself had caused.

"It must feel wonderful, knowing that your only son is about to become the murderer of one of the greatest wizards in the world. What more, that he will be doing it for the sake of you, his father, and those he cares for."

Narcissa just took another sip of wine, swirling it gracefully in the cup. Lixella was thoroughly impressed by her ability to not show a single emotion. It was as if she didn't even acknowledge that Voldemort was standing next to her, harassing her existence.

"Now, if the mission should fail" Voldemort said, taking a seat in a nearby chair, "Then I'm sure you both understand the consequences, correct?"

They nodded.

"Wonderful, so, is there any news on the matter, Wormtail?"

Wormtail removed a coin from his pocket, and held it to his mangled pointed ear.

"n-none as of yet, my lord" he said in a shy voice.

Lixella felt as if she was about to vomit. However, it was not so much from the situation, as it was from Wormtail's mere existence. She had seen the effects that being a death eater had on people. It wasn't a rewarding experience, for sure. She had watched Draco, this whole year, change from a boy full of snark and swagger, to someone who just looked like they'd had their soul torn apart. However, Wormtail was a case that she just didn't understand. Not only did he look completely broken, he also looked like vermin.

"No news on the subject?" asked Voldemort, "That isn't a good sign. Hopefully we will know soon. In the mean time, I was wondering, Lixella, if you had heard about your cousin Arthus?"

"No, my lord, we haven't spoken since Christmas." she said.

"Interesting, have you been reading the prophet?"

"No, my lord"

"Well, there's a nice little article in there, about his disappearance." his voice almost slithered through the sentence, "Apparently he has gone missing, might you know why?"

It hit Lixella like a sack of bricks. Arthus had told her that he was working for The Order. Perhaps, Voldemort had found out about his betrayal.

"I had no idea that he was missing, my lord"

"Of course you didn't. I'm sure you had no idea that he was being used as a spy, either, did you, Lixella?" he asked suspiciously.

"Arthus was a spy? For The Order?" she asked, in a rather convincing tone, "When did he join them?"

But, before Voldemort could question her further, a loud 'pop' came from the foyer . They all stood up, Narcissa looked to Lixella and nodded. Both of them were ready to face whatever was waiting for them. The group made their way out to the foyer, lead by Voldemort. They entered to find Snape, Draco, Bellatrix, and four other death eaters.

"Well…" said Voldemort, eyeing them.

"It has been done, my lord" said Snape, "Dumbledore lies dead, in the Hogwarts courtyard."

"Well done, Severus" he said, "It seems that keeping you at Hogwarts all these years, has proven to be rewarding. Lives have been saved tonight, thanks to your efforts." he turned to Narcissa and Lixella, who were standing by the entrance to the living room. "Now that Dumbledore is out of the way, we must go after the ministry. I will see you all soon, when I have devised a new plan."

He then apparated away, leaving only a shadowy black cloud. Wormtail followed behind him, apparating out of sight. Once the two of them were gone, Narcissa rushed over to Draco, and hugged him tight. Lixella was sure that Narcissa had never been happier to see her son. She then turned to professor Snape, and hugged him as well.

"Thank you, Snape" she said, nearly to tears.

Draco hugged his mom one last time, then headed over to Lixella.

"Dear god! I am glad to see that you're alive." Lixella said as she hugged Draco.

"Glad to see that you're alive, too" he said.

"So…" she started sheepishly, "you didn't do it?"

"No" he stared at the ground, "I couldn't. In the end, Snape had to."

"I'm so proud of you, thank you" she said, hugging him again.

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><p>Lixella laid in her bed, her mind was far off in the distance. She was thinking about school, life, and Dumbledore. It was such a terrible blow to the wizarding world, taking away one of their great leaders. At this moment, Voldemort had the upper hand, he had just taken the queen in a game of chess, without even warning his opponents. All that was left to stand in his way, was Harry Potter. Lixella wondered if Harry could handle it all. If he could handle taking down Voldemort without anyone to guide him. She could only hope that, within the time he had spent with Dumbledore, that he had learned, at least, where to begin.<p>

Then, a thought crossed her mind, would she ever see Harry again? Or any of the friends that she'd made this year? The time that she'd spent living here, had been such an interesting experience. Now, everything was about to change.

Her door creaked open, but she didn't bother to turn over to see who it was, she was too wrapped in her thoughts. Faint footsteps walked across her floor, around the bed, and stopped right in front of her.

"Scoot over" said Draco. Lixella moved to the other side of the bed, and he climbed in with her. He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close, she did the same.

"What if your mom comes in here?" she whispered.

"Lixella, I nearly killed someone tonight." he said, "I don't really care, anymore, if I get caught in bed with a girl."

"I knew you wouldn't kill him" she said. He scooted back, gazing at her with anger.

"Why, because you think I'm too weak?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No" she said, pulling him back towards her, "Because I knew that you were a better person than that."

He laid down on his back, and she rested her head on his chest.

"Draco" she said, "It takes a lot more to stand up and say no to someone like Voldemort, than it does to kill a person. You're not a murderer, because you aren't that cold hearted. And, yeah, this all sounds really sappy…" he chuckled, "but, it's true. I want to make sure that you know that, what you did tonight, or rather what you didn't do, was the right decision."

"You think?" he asked.

"yeah, it was" she said. She lifted her head up, and kissed him. It was long and passionate, she wanted him to know just how much she loved him. She smiled as they separated, and resumed laying on his chest. She laid there for a few minutes, taking in his scent.

He just kept one arm wrapped around her, not wanting to let go. That night had been hell for him, and being able to just hold Lixella was enough. The fact that she was alive, made him feel like he hadn't failed anything. He wondered, if they really knew what they were in for.

The rest of the year was going to be such a terrible test on the two of them. She already couldn't handle being a death eater. But, now that Dumbledore was dead, Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to use her as his weapon. Her will power was going to be tested soon, both of their's was. But maybe, just maybe, if they stayed together, they could get through it all.

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><p>THE END...FOREVER! nope, i'm kidding, just for now!<p>

So anyways, thanks for reading, please review if you can, I'd really appreciate it ^_^ and have a wonderful day, or night, or evening, or whatever XD

Lily: so i know that you reviewed chapter 10, but i'm going to respond here. Thanks for the review, and seriously, I ADORE THAT SONG SO MUCH! I wish i could sing like that!

xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: thanks! it's funny because i was thinking of pairing the two, but then someone actually agreed with it so i was like , eh, what the hell! I'll ship tehm together!"

DizzyPotter: do carry on, I enjoy it ^_^ and I love Bellatrix, she's such a crazy person.

Wini: I know, I hate waiting for chapters to be posted! and thank you, I try to post my stuff quickly because I hate waiting around for updates, it turns me away from the story!

Thank you for reading guys, please review and I'll see you soon :3


	25. Parchment 24: Beginning of an End

so, here it is you guys, I was going to put a few more chapters, but I figure that I should just end it here!

Final Chapter, try to put on something epic, if you're listening to music!

Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed/ favorited and followed this story: DizzyPotter, indigofrisbee, xXMizz Alex VolturiXx, lilly, Winni, hahahehe4ever, Ikisha, ameisrain, bkny1, the dark side of the mind, Yuna1133, Maybelt's Fate, Zyophia Clari, watergoddesskassey, Blaze banks, SillouhetteGypsy, LovemePlz525, naynay87, Lady of Blatant Sarcasm, lenie954, keeluvsfangsandslytherin, Word-and-bullets, Silent Guardian, Afrenchgirl, Hannah Shadis 101, The Original Aussie Ninja, Cassia4 u, and DizziPen

Wow! that was a lot of people! Well, enjoy this ending, I hope you all like it, if i didn't mention you then tell me and I'll add you in there ^_^

Enjoy the show guys! Thanks for helping me finally complete a story!

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><p><span>Our time is Running Out<span>

Parchment 24: The Beginning of a New End

Lixella sat in the open parlor of the Cruxshade manor, admiring the towering windows. She had returned back to the home of her aunt and uncle, two days after the murder of Dumbledore. It had been a week since then. It seemed that everything was coming to a close now, the year had circled back around, and she was in the house that she had begun in. In this year she had made several new friends, some more unusual than others. She'd also recovered several memories, found out her family's past, slept in 4 different bedrooms, learned to speak banshee, fallen in love with the most annoying boy on the planet, become a death eater, lied to Voldemort, and aided in the murder of a great wizard.

Remembering all of it caused her to involuntarily inhale sharply. The world around her was growing darker, colder. Everything was changing, even she was. She had gone from not really caring about much of anything, to having the passion to save an entire race. She had learned to better understand the people that she had judged, ironically, as judgmental.

Her opinion about her family, how they changed themselves for others, had changed because she now understood why they had to. She had done things that most people couldn't imagine. Banshees saw her as their leader, without giving it much question. Lixella did not like this blind faith that they had in her. It made her question herself.

The fact that she had met, befriended, and betrayed the famous Harry Potter, seemed like a distant memory. Her loyalties lay on the wrong side, in her opinion. However, it was the side that had the people she cared about. She would do anything to keep her loved ones from dying, it was a weakness. Watching her parents be buried was enough. No one else needed to be lost, she wouldn't allow it. She couldn't bare to see her aunt, uncle, or cousin be buried. Nor Nym, Jynx, Luna, Neville, Hermione, Ron, not even Blaise, who she had despised at the beginning. Then, there was Draco, the one person she knew had gone through enough shit this year. The image of him, in a coffin, being lowered into the ground, was impossible to imagine. Her mind would simply not let her go there, it was too much.

Without question, she was ready to keep anyone alive, by almost any means necessary. She just hoped that she wouldn't be required to take anyone's life. Her right hand moved to the locket around her neck. At the beginning of the year she'd worn an amulet, but she had stopped wearing it for some odd reason. It had come to her two years ago, in a rather tattered box, with brown wrapping. It was lovely, an opaque blue circle sat in the middle of it, swirling with white mist. The paper had read, "All will return to you, once you can remember this".

She wasn't sure as to what she was supposed to remember. How could she possibly remember something that was lost? You couldn't just travel back to a memory that your mind couldn't recover. Then, it hit her. The package up in her room, the one that Draco had handed her at the beginning of the year, it contained a flask of one of her memories. Could it be, that this was the answer?

"I can't believe it" she said, jumping out of her seat, "All I need to do is look at that memory, it must have the answer!" She stopped suddenly, her expression became grim. "I don't have a pensieve, how am I supposed to view it?" she fell back into the chair. Once again, she had been defeated. Something beyond her control, had stopped her from getting what she wanted the most. If only she knew the person who'd given her that amulet, surely they would have a pensieve for her.

"Have you been sitting her all day?" asked her aunt Iris, as she strode through the door, "Goodness, child, don't you have something better to be doing? And what are you wearing?"

Lixella looked down at her clothes, she was still wearing her pajamas. However, she didn't think it was strange, there was no reason to get dressed.

"I'm wearing my pajamas" she said

"Yes, very observant! And why are you still in your pajamas?"

"Why not?" she asked, rather confused. Her aunt face palmed, and shook her head.

"Why?" she asked angrily, "because we're about to have company!"

"Really?" Lixella asked, "Why? Who?"

"Dear god, have you forgotten your uncle's birthday today?"

Lixella planted her face into the arm of the chair. She was, truly, a terrible niece.

"We are about to have a party for your uncle's birthday, with several very upstanding families, and you just forgot? Lixella, sometimes I wonder if your mind is even on this planet. Go upstairs and change, right now! I'll give you 20 minutes, no more, no less!"

Lixella rushed up to her room to get ready.

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><p>It was around 9 o'clock, and Lixella was right back where she had sat that afternoon. However, instead of admiring the windows, she was busy admiring Draco's hair. He was laying in her lap, and she was running her fingers through his platinum blond hair. She could've slapped herself. She was now sitting exactly where Pansy had sat at the beginning of the year.<p>

"I swear" said Jynx, "I will nevah get used ta the sight of you two togetha'. I didn' even see this comin'"

She was sitting upside down, in a chair opposite Lixella, with her feet propped on the top of the chair, and her head hanging off of the seat cushion.

"Oh, trust me, no one did" Blaise said. He was to the left of Jynx, sitting sideways in his chair, with his legs propped up on the arm of it.

"I don't see why" said Draco, "I'm irresistible, ouch!"

Lixella had smacked him, causing him to shoot up from where he was laying.

"What was that for?" he asked, his hand over his nearly red cheek.

"For being a snarky prick" she said smiling

"Ugh, women" he muttered, "so touchy"

"love you too" said Lixella as she turned and propped her legs on his lap.

"well, at least you aren't actin' any different" said Jynx, she pointed at them, "if you two evah get all lovey dovey, I'll personaly hit ya wit' an oar."

"Good" responded Lixella, "Please don't hesitate!"

A few moments passed by. They all sat there, having small conversations. Their parents were all in another room, socializing over the current events. Somehow, the four of them had all migrated to the parlor. Lixella was the first, she had been sitting in there, trying to avoid the many people that her aunt knew. Then Jynx had waltzed in, trying to get away from adults in general. Draco and Blaise had entered a few minutes after her, rolling their eyes at how annoying their mother's were.

"Am I the only one who finds all of this weird?" asked Lixella.

"Prolly, yes" said Jynx, "Wha' are we talkin' about?"

"A party" said Lixella, "After all that's been happening, of course. Isn't it strange to think, that someone would want to attend something, as simple as a birthday party?"

"No, my mother attends _any_ party that's full of the right people" said Blaise.

"Well, now tha' ya mention it" said Jynx, staring at the ceiling, "it is a strange event ta have."

"I mean, it seems so normal, ya know?" asked Lixella, "gosh, even something like summer break seems too normal."

They all sat in silence for a bit, pondering what the next few months would be like.

"I need a pensieve" said Lixella suddenly. They all looked at her in confusion.

"What is with you tonight?" asked Draco, "You keep spouting the most random things."

"No" she said chuckling, "I need it to look at a memory."

"Yes" said Jynx, "Tha's tha general function of a pensieve"

"Yeah, but it's important" said Lixella

"Well, people don't just use pensieves for leisurely enjoyment. So it would have to be important." said Blaise.

"Yes, but I need to see something that I can't remember." said Lixella

"Well, most people do use it to look at things they can't remember" said Draco, "Is there a point to this conversation? Or are you just testing our knowledge of pensieves? Ouch!"

Lixella had punched him in the arm. "Bloody hell" he said, "why are you so abusive, tonight?"

Blaise and Jynx began laughing.

"Because you're acting like a prick, tonight, love" said Lixella, "Now, anyways, I need to see a memory. More specifically the memory that you, Draco, gave me at the beginning of the year. Do you remember that?"

"No" he said, searching through his mind, "Wait! You mean the day that you got me to curse and flick you off in front of your aunt and uncle?"

"Nice!" Jynx laughed, "good one, Lixella!"

"Yes, that day. That was a good day" said Lixella, "It was that memory, that your mom had told you to give me. Where'd she get it from?"

"I dunno, I think one of the house elves gave it to her" said Draco.

"Which one?" asked Lixella.

"I don't keep track of their names…no!" he shouted, he had caught her fist, just before it punched his arm again. "Calm down" he squealed.

"Sorry" Lixella said, lowering her arm

"This is really entertaining" said Jynx.

"_Yeah_, it is!" said Blaise, laughing.

"anyways, I need to look at it, it may be able to show me how I can recover my childhood." said Lixella.

"The only pensieve that I've ever seen, is in Dumbledore's office" said Draco, "But, I doubt they'd let anyone in there, anymore."

They all stared down, not wanting to bring up the subject of Dumbledore's death.

"of course" whispered Lixella, "it would be there." She hit the back of her head against the arm of the couch. "I guess I'll just never know then" she mumbled.

The rest of the night went on rather uneventfully. Most of it was spent picking on Draco and Lixella's relationship. Eventually though, the party ended, and they all had to get up to leave.

"Don't worry" said Jynx, "I'm sure we'll see each otha', eventually. But 'ey, I gotta tell ya somethin'." Lixella leaned in closer. "I think I might actually be fallin' for Blaise. It's terrible, Lixella, he's just too great. I can't get muh mind off o' the damn boy!"

"Do you want me to smack you with an oar?" asked Lixella.

"No" laughed Jynx, "It's not tha' serious, yet. But really, if it gets tha' bad, ya 'ave permission. Anyway, I'll see ya latah, have a good summah, 'kay?" she said, giving Lixella a hug.

"You, too" said Lixella. She waved good bye as Jynx departed with her mother and father.

"You really aren't that bad, Cruxshade" said Blaise, giving her a hug. "He needs someone to kick him into shape, every now and then." He motioned over to Draco, who was standing next to her.

"Thanks" said Lixella, "You definitely aren't who I thought you were."

"You neither" he said, "See you two later".

The two of them stood alone on the porch, watching their friends depart. Draco put an arm around her, she laid her head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head. It was still and quiet, aside from the rain that had begun. It was strange, the fact that they were always the last ones left. In the end, it was always just the two of them, hanging on to one another, trying to push through everything.

"I'm still scared" said Lixella, sheepishly.

"Yeah" said Draco, "me too." He lowered his arm, and turned her towards him. "But, it's okay" he said as he leaned down and kissed her.

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><p>Aunt iris stopped suddenly, she had noticed the scene unfolding on the front porch, through one of the open doors. She gasped, having no idea that the two of them were dating. Narcissa walked up to her, pausing momentarily as she observed the scene, as well.<p>

"Did you know about this, Narcissa?" asked aunt Iris.

"Yes, actually" said Narcissa, "They've been like that since December."

"and here I thought that they despised each other"

"Don't worry, you weren't alone." said Narcissa, patting Iris' shoulder. "But, once you think about it, you realize that they are perfect for one another."

"Oh, this is wonderful" said Iris.

"I agree" said Narcissa, "I'm glad to finally see that Draco has someone to shove him back in line."

"Lixella _has_ always been good at that" nodded aunt Iris, "we should stop prying, where did you put your coat, Narcissa? I'll help you find it."

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><p>The two of them separated, and stood there, their foreheads leaning against the other's. It was warm and muggy outside. The sound of rain trickled in the distance.<p>

"I'll miss you" said Lixella

"I'll see you eventually" said Draco, "Don't go crazy without me." He kissed her forehead, and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Lixella" he said, "Whatever happens from here on I…"

"promise to make sure you'll get through it" she said as she hugged him, taking in his scent. "I love you too, Draco, know that" she leaned up and kissed him, one last time. It was a wonderful good bye kiss, but didn't last as long as they both would've liked. They stopped, and stood there, holding hands.

"Well, it's nice to see you two finally getting along" said Narcissa as she exited the doorway.

"Very" said aunt Iris, who was behind her.

"No more mud slinging then?" asked uncle Zander, "I'll miss the mud slinging."

"I won't" said Narcissa, "I've had enough clothes ruined already. Your aim, Lixella, is far too good!"

They all laughed, then began saying their good byes. Narcissa and Draco got into the car, and they all waved to each other. Lixella realized how similar this was to her memory of leaving Malfoy manor. The roles, however, were switched, she was waving good bye from her porch. Lixella smirked, and stuck her tongue out at Draco, who laughed and mimicked her. She watched the car drive away, hoping that she would get to see it return soon.

* * *

><p>Lixella headed up to her room after bidding her aunt and uncle good night. She was thinking of asking about Arthus, but was scared that it might be too soon. She opened her bedroom door, and made her way over to her closet to put her pajamas back on. However, she stopped suddenly, and turned towards the bed. A very curious letter was sitting perfectly on her pillow. It was burgundy, with no seal and no address. She sat down on the bed, and opened it.<p>

_Dear Lixella, _

_I write this to you in secret, and beg you to not mutter a word of this to anyone. In the winter I had hoped to tell you this, but I had not confirmed it. There's something very important for you to know. I believe that the death eaters have discovered my allegiances to The Order. They may soon be coming to take me away. So, I write you this letter as a last hope, as the last information that I shall pass on, from the other side. Last summer, your parents died, which is why you were brought to England. This, I am sad to report, was all a ploy to lure you to Voldemort. He wants to use you as a weapon against the Ministry, the Order, and perhaps even against Harry Potter. You are far more important than you think, Lixella, and everything up until now has been a test. He is testing your allegiance to the death eaters. You have passed all of these tests. But, there is something that they aren't telling you. Prepare yourself, Lixella, for I have made a miraculous discovery. Your father, William, is alive. He has been in contact with the order, and he's looking for you. I'm not sure how long he can fend off the death eaters though. They may not know any of this, so I urge you to keep it a secret. Your father is out there, Lixella, and he wants nothing more than to find you and take you away from Voldemort's grip. Trust me when I say that you cannot let him get too close to you. If he does, then the Death Eaters will find him, and he will die. _

_I hope that you can make it through what is about to arise in our world, Lixella. Tell my mother and father that I love them, and miss them. But don't tell them about my spying, I want them to remember me as their son, not as a traitor. Good bye, Lixella, I am glad to call you my cousin, and I hope that you will be proud of me._

_Sincerely, _

_Arthus Cruxshade_

Small tear drops fell onto the parchment. Lixella had begun crying. Her father was alive, this whole time, and she didn't even know it. Not only was he alive, he was looking for her. She laid down on her bed, clinging onto her pillow. She wanted to march into her aunt and uncle's room and go off on them. Had they even known about this? Do they even know about Arthus? It seemed that they didn't. She couldn't tell a soul, she had to keep quiet. Lixella shot up, and threw the pillow against a wall.

"I am so tired of keeping quiet!" she yelled, "I can't stand all of these secrets, anymore. Or this stupid memory loss! Why can't I just have a simple life in America with my damn parents! No Death Eaters, no fucking Voldemort, No memory loss!"

She planted her face into the mattress and kept crying. This year had been full of twists and turns, it was making her dizzy. She couldn't keep up with all of the things that she had to do. It was as if she was on a roller coaster, one moment, everything was perfect, and she was floating, then, it skyrocketed down. She cried so hard that, eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Her dreams were filled with her asking questions, and gasping for air. She saw Cordellia and the banshees kneeling before her, and her being nervous about her new title. Hogwarts went up in flames before her eyes. Her father became trapped in a large cloud of cinder and smoke. She began running from the fire, trying to escape the disaster that was her life. Then, she ran right into Draco's arms, hugging him as tight as she could.

It had been such a terrible confusion, that whole year. There was hardly anyone there to help her. The world around her was growing darker, but there were faint bits of light. It was all coming to a close, and she could only hope, now, that next year would resolve everything.

* * *

><p>THE END, OFFICIALLY! thank you guys for reading, and keep a look out for the sequel, I'm not sure what to call it yet,<p>

if you have an idea for a good title, tell me in a review! or just review me for fun!

I can't wait to hear from you guys, see you in the sequel!

Thank you, everybody!


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